Alex Pereira Headdress, Facepaint, & Meaning Behind Tribal Attire

Alex Pereira is one of the most celebrated fighters in the UFC right now. And rightly so! Perhaps the face of the company, the Brazilian brings in a magnetic personality, although he’s not as loud as some of the other fighters in the promotion. Ever since debuting in 2021, ‘Poatan’ put on some of the most exciting performances, with knockouts after knockouts, reigning supreme as the light heavyweight champion. Well, there’s an interesting thing about the 205lbs juggernaut! We are talking about the rich tribal heritage that he embraces with honor. 

During the ceremonial weigh-ins right before Pereira’s win at UFC 281, the Brazilian had donned amazing colors on his face and combined it with a headdress which made him look otherworldly. It was nothing like what fans had seen before. But what does that really signify? Well, let’s find out!

Why does Alex Pereira wear a headdress? More about his Tribal attire

Alex Pereira comes from the Pataxo tribe, which consists of indigenous people from his native Brazil. ‘Poatan’ dons his traditional headdress, which is usually composed of vivid colors and eagle feathers, and is a way of staying connected to his roots. It was evident when he put up a show of intimidation against his former arch-nemesis, Israel Adesanya. A rivalry for the ages, in and out of the cage. 

The 205lbs gold standard has previously spoken about how finding out about his roots has made him feel better about himself in the cage. This, in turn, has made him invoke his ancestors’ pride and the desire to honor his legacy even more.

The Brazilian juggernaut even opened up on his decision to showcase his traditional headwear, which appears to have taken shape when he started his fighting career. “When I first started to train in kickboxing, my first teacher had indigenous roots. I went home the same day and asked my mom. She said my grandparents were indigenous. It made me feel more confident,” Pereira had once stated in an interview.

But Pereira’s headdress isn’t the only piece in his traditional attire. As we’ve mentioned already, he’s got his face paint, too. But do you know what that really means? Well, let’s take a look at that front.

What does Alex Pereira’s face paint mean?

Alex Pereira’s face paint attire symbolizes his connections with the aforementioned Pataxo tribe, found in the Bahia region in his native country. His tattoos too are a symbol of his origins as well. It symbolizes his connection to the roots, and guess what? Pereira likes to link himself to his culture whenever he steps up for a fight to draw energy and support of his ancestors. Fans can see him sport that look when he appears during weigh-ins.

One by one, he kept introducing more and more symbols of his roots to his professional life- the walkout, the tattoos, and then the whole getup. ‘Poatan’ too, in fact, is a name that comes from similar roots. It’s the Tupi-Guarani name that means ‘Stone Hands’. Meanwhile, the question that most fans are wondering is if Pereira will continue to honor his legacy in the next weigh-ins. And it seems like he will because he’s got a special one just for UFC 313.

‘Poatan’ gets a special headdress before UFC 313

When Alex Pereira landed in Las Vegas, he was seen wearing a different design of a headdress as he got out of the plane. Claiming that it was made out of eagle feathers, ‘Poatan’ got this headdress from a Pataxo tribe leader after giving him his old one because of how important the fight against Magomed Ankalaev is for the light heavyweight champion, as it could help cement his status in the 205-pound division.

“This is a special headdress. My brother Ubiranan, and we exchanged headdresses. I told him my next fight would be a very important one. It would be a new phase,” Alex Pereira was seen saying on the UFC 313 Embedded: Vlog Series. “He told me he’d do a special headdress with eagle feathers, that mean vision. We are going to fight. Whoever is in there is ready for it.”

Well, so far, no one has been able to rattle Alex Pereira as a light heavyweight. What do you think will be the outcome of UFC 313? Will Pereira prevail, or will we see a new champion being crowned? Drop your comments below.