Alex Pereira is currently one of the most celebrated fighters in the UFC right. He’s put on some of the most exciting performances with knockouts after knockouts, reigning supreme as the light heavyweight champion. Taking on Jiri Prochazka in a rematch at UFC 303, ‘Poatan’ has always found a way to make the headlines. In fact, there was one memorable time when he came up to the stage and fans couldn’t stop talking about it.

It was during the ceremonial weigh-ins right before Pereira’s win at UFC 281. The fighter had donned amazing colors on his face and combined it with a headdress- Pereira looked otherworldly. It was like nothing fans had seen before. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

What does Alex Pereira’s face paint and headdress symbolize?

Alex Pereira is a Brazilian fighter. And he knows how to stay connected to his roots. In doing so, he put up a show of intimidation against Israel Adesanya, during their rivalry, both inside and outside of the cage. The Brazilian roots lie in a tribal community. He has shown a love for his roots many times with his face paint and headdress, which symbolizes his connections with the Pataxo tribe, found in the Bahia region in his native country.

His tattoos too are a symbol of the people he belongs to. Pereira has previously spoken about how finding out about his roots has made him feel better about himself in the cage. This has further made him want to invoke his ancestors and want to honor his background.

“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.” Pereira had once said. “It made me feel more confident. We wanted to resurrect my origins and indigenous culture. I made a ritual with the bow and arrow. Then a sequence with the indigenous music and that’s how it started.”

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 bring his roots to the next weigh-ins. Well, let’s have a discussion on that front.

Will ‘Poatan’ wear face paint for his next fight?

The simple answer is yes. Alex Pereira always brings his ethnic roots with him and has worn the facepaint, not once, but only on multiple occasions, and in the last few fights, it has become a part of the identity he’s established with his fans. However, Jiri Prochazka, his opponent this weekend, took some shots at Pereira regarding his tradition of wearing the face paint and headdress at the weigh-in, claiming that the spiritual energy and support he gets from his culture back home cannot help him win the rematch.

“Everybody knows he is working with some Shamanics, with some Shamans from his hometown and he believes in some spiritual help from them… but I believe in the best performance, in human performance right here right now, without no magic, and let’s see if Alex will still work like that because it’s working but I believe in a clear way, and I will do that and I want to win by that way,” Jiri Prochazka told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour.

It will be interesting who gets the better of the the other as Jiri Prochazka would surely look to defeat Alex Pereira the same way he lost to the Brazilian at UFC 295. What do you think? Drop your comments below.