Alex Pereira had one of the most meteoric rises in the entire UFC. The 35-year-old Brazilian went on to become the UFC Middleweight champion in just his fourth UFC bout. Pereira also managed to extend his record against his archrival Israel Adesanya to 3-0. He finished off Adesanya with his brutal punches in the final round, scoring a standing TKO victory over the former champ.
Pereira is very closely related to his native tribe, ‘Pataxó’. ‘Poatan’ proudly wears his tribal identity on his sleeve. Pereira‘s signature walk-out move is influenced entirely by his native tribe. He also dawned his tribal makeup on the pre-fight staredowns of his UFC 284 bout against Israel Adesanya. Now that they have crowned him the champion, ‘Poatan’ decided to visit his roots and take back his hard-earned possession, the UFC Middleweight championship belt.
The authenticity showcased by Alex Pereira startled fans
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‘MMA mania’ captioned their post, “Alex Pereira brought his title back to his Pataxó tribe in Brazil”. Fans flooded the comments section with an insane no. of comments.
Alex Pereira brought his title back to his Pataxó tribe in Brazil pic.twitter.com/y0ENaRFpGj
— MMA mania (@mmamania) January 6, 2023
Alex Pereira’s dedication to his native people and his roots impressed most of his followers.
READ MORE: Which Tribe Does the UFC Star Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira Belong To?
One of them wrote, “Damn I didn’t know this dude was legit. I thought the face paint was just a gimmick”
Damn I didn’t know this dude was legit.. I thought the face paint was just a gimmick
— Ted Bo (@TedBowe) January 6, 2023
One more fan also showcased similar thoughts. He wrote, “so adesanya really just fought a man from a tribe in the jungle, makes sense why he lost”.
so adesanya really just fought a man from a tribe in the jungle😆 makes sense why he lost
— Gulf R. (@gullfff) January 7, 2023
Another fan also revealed his appreciation stating, “Definition of a warrior sheesh”.
Definition of a warrior sheesh
— SHEIKH L00CH (@AQ2JQ) January 6, 2023
One more fan appreciated the entire ‘Pataxó’ attire, commenting, “Bada*s paint. Pretty cool honor to have. Jaguar Warrior”
Badass paint. Pretty cool honor to have. Jaguar Warrior
— Rich (@TzarTurtle) January 6, 2023
But as usual, there were also some netizens who found mistakes regarding ‘Poatan’s’ action.
Some fans also displayed negativity towards Pereira in the comments section of
A part of the fans went a bit bitter about ‘Pereira’s actions. It was also evident from some of the comments that they wanted Adesanya to clinch the victory instead of Pereira in their showdown.
One user termed the UFC Middleweight title as a “symbol of capitalism” and wrote, “A bit ironic to bring a symbol of capitalism to the natives knowing the system would destroy their land for profit without hesitation.”
A bit ironic to bring a symbol of capitalism to the natives knowing the system would destroy their land for profit without hesitation.
— mahogany (@mahoganysky2) January 6, 2023
One more user came up with a severe diss for Pereira. He wrote, “A weight cheat. He probably got some voddo going on too… don’t mind me am just being salty. Nice he went home.”
Watch this Story – Five times Alex Pereira mocked rival Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 281
It was understandable that this user was probably a fan of Adesanya or just hated Pereira in general.
A weight cheat. He probably got some voddo going on too… don't mind me am just being salty. Nice he went home.
— Nwoke Dike goziri (@Black_dragoneel) January 6, 2023
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Another user decided to deride the lady seen in one of the pictures with Pereira. He wrote, “The white girl was unnecessary in the picture”.
The white girl was unnecessary in the picture
— Mute All Culture Vultures (@AllVultures) January 7, 2023
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The “white girl” showcased in the pictures was labeled as a “special person” by Pereira. Her name is Merle.
The fans may have presented their opinions, but a lot of others may agree that having such affinity towards one’s roots is really appreciable. Would you also like to appreciate this action from Pereira? Or would side with the negative ones?