Alex Pereira, aka ‘Poatan’ (Stone-hands), is known for his stoic demeanor and devastating knockouts inside the Octagon. Pereira is often made fun of by fans for his ability to not show any sort of emotion on his face, keeping it all straight before his big fights and even after winning them. The true nature of a stone-cold killer.

However, it doesn’t mean that ‘Poatan’ doesn’t feel things. It was made evident by a recent video on social media. In the clip, Alex Pereira can be seen giving back to the community he grew up with. For the unaware, Pereira grew up in the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and his childhood surely was full of hardships. So much so that he often slept without having a morsel of food—a fear that he revealed while performing his little deed of charity.

In a video released by the UFC ahead of his 307 fight against Khalil Rountree, Pereira can be seen revisiting the neighborhood of Batistini, the place where he was born and raised. According to the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, he has been blessed and now has more than he ever needed. So now it was his turn to help out his community in need. He reveals that he doesn’t want the kids in the neighborhood to grow up with the fear of not having any food on their plates. So Pereira delivered over a thousand boxes of food and essentials to help out over a thousand families.

As Pereira revealed, “We are in the Batistini neighborhood. This is where I was born and raised. We’re going to give away over a thousand boxes, helping over 1,000 families. It’s something I’ve been doing for a while. My reality used to be theirs. I went through a lot of hardship, but my biggest fear was always being hungry. So if I can do something to help, I’ll do it.”

In the video, Pereira also gives a speech in which he reveals that he was very glad to be able to help out the people. And while there were cameras around during the donation, they were just to motivate others with the means to lend a helping hand to their community. But do you know that this isn’t the first time the 11-2-0 has lent out a helping hand to his fellow citizens of Brazil?

The stone hands with a soft heart

After a massive flood hit the southern part of the country where several people unfortunately perished, ‘Poatan’ donated over $100,000 to help aid the people affected and help out the cleanup efforts. Speaking about the tragedy with MMA Hoje, Pereira said, “Many people from the south are in need there because of the rain and floods. Recently, I made a donation out of my own pocket. No one helped me with anything. Apart from the other donations I made, I donated $100,000 of food to people in need here in Brazil.” 

He further added that he would be doing as much as he could for the people who have suffered. So Poatan promised to donate another $20,000 for the aid. “Now I’m also going to donate another $20,000 to the south for this tragedy that happened… I do what I can.” Well, it sure looks like Pereira truly wants to make a difference. He surely would be hoping that his act inspires many to do the same. What do you think of Pereira’s good deed for the day? Let us know in the comments.