Alex Pereira Nickname ‘Poatan’ – Meaning and Origin Behind the UFC Champ’s Moniker

It won’t be wrong to label the famed former UFC middleweight and current light heavyweight king, Alex Pereira, as one of the most devastating strikers in the promotion. The fashion in which he defeated the likes of Israel Adesanya, Jamahal Hill, and Jiri Prochazka twice gives us an idea of how his upcoming title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr. could turn out at UFC 307. Having established himself as a force to be reckoned with, it didn’t take much time for fans to get word of his nickname, ‘Poatan’.

The larger picture showcases that Pereira, as an individual, still has a deep sense of connection to his roots. UFC fighters often use the words from their native language to form their monikers. Pereira is no exception in this case. His moniker may look like a single word when it’s written in English. But it is actually the combination of two words in his native language. Let’s explore that name a bit more.

What does Alex Pereira’s nickname ‘Poatan’ mean?

We have all seen how devastating Alex Pereira can be with his punches and other kinds of strikes, especially with his lethal left hand that has put so many of his opponents to sleep, or at least, got their bell rung, sending them to oblivion. As such, his nickname, ‘Poatan’, actually has two parts – ‘Po’ meaning hand in his native Tupi language, and ‘Atan’ meaning ‘stone’ or something solid. In English, Pereira’s nickname means ‘Stone Hands’ or ‘Hands of Stone’.

The nickname was conferred on him by the first kickboxing trainer Belocqua Wera and also helped Pereira to trace back his indigenous roots. Alex Pereira has even inked a tattoo of a few pebbles on his left hand, which is the most effective weapon he has, helping him earn numerous KO wins. Besides having a popular nickname among fans, Pereira also has an even more popular catchphrase.

Meaning of Alex Pereira’s catchphrase ‘Chama’

Unlike in the WWE, very few fighters in the UFC have a catchphrase that fans can chant along for them. While there have been famous one-liners like Conor McGregor‘s “Who the f*** is that guy,” there has been nothing like the catchphrase that’s become increasingly popular among UFC fans as the one Alex Pereira uses. “Chama,” that’s all he needs to say to his fans.

But what does “Chama” mean? Well, it actually means flame in English when translated from Portuguese. However, Alex Pereira uses it as a hype word; something along the lines of “Come on” or “Let’s go.” The popularity of this catchphrase was there to see when Alex Pereira visited Canada for UFC 297 only to be bombarded with “Chama” by his fans.

As we approach fight night, Poatan’s’ rival at UFC 307 has a good striking game and things may come down to who packs more power in his strikes. Most fans may agree that in this regard, Alex Pereira will have a significant advantage over his Muay Thai-stance rival due to what happened last time out. But do you think that he will eventually manage to defeat Khalil Rountree Jr.? Drop your comments below.