Alex Pereira Tattoos: Meaning Behind Dragon, Tribal & UFC Champ’s Other Inks

In the modern world, tattoos have emerged as a form of self-expression. While there are many who get inked just to make a fashion statement, a number of others use them symbolically. Fighters are a breed who endure an insane amount of pain and go through grueling routines to make themselves noteworthy. Hence, tattoos on fighters often symbolize the stories of their unrevealed pain, and the stories we’ll try to unfold today will be of Alex Pereira. The UFC light heavyweight champ will defend his belt for a fourth time this weekend, and this time, it’s another new contender and arguably his toughest opponent, Magomed Ankalaev. The 205-pound duo will clash at UFC 313, in the bright lights of the main event.

Meanwhile, looking at how big of a superstar Pereira has become in just four years of association with Dana White’s promotion, he also boasts a number of instantly recognizable tattoos. Although most UFC fans might have noticed them, there won’t be many who know their significance or the exact number of the tattoos on his body. But let’s take a look at them.

1. Dragons and Koi Fish Tattoo

There are multiple dragons inked on Pereira’s body. Although he got his first dragon because he thought it was cool and not really because it meant anything to him, the two other dragon tattoos he got are ones that he really loves. In contrast to the three dragons, the fighter only has one koi fish tattoo. This one was probably from the time when Pereira fought as a kickboxer under ‘Glory’ in China.

Although Pereira didn’t know about this when he got the koi tattoo, he later learned about the legend of a ‘koi’ fish evolving into a powerful dragon after swimming to the top of a mountain. Pereira finds this to be an inspiring legend.

2. Kickboxing Tattoo

This ink on Pereira’s body doesn’t leave much for the fans to imagine. Most kickboxing and UFC fans are aware of ‘Poatan’s commendable prowess in the kickboxing ring. Till his transit to the UFC, Pereira boasted a remarkable 33-7 record in professional kickboxing as well.

A large chunk of fans also might know about Pereira’s troubled times and alcoholism issues before he started kickboxing. Quite understandably, it was Pereira’s love for the sport that propelled him to make it a part of himself forever.

3. Alessandro and Lohan Tattoo

Becoming a father is obviously one of the most treasured moments of a man’s life. Pereira has experienced this two times. Most UFC fans already know that he currently has two sons named Alessandro Vidal Silva and Lohan Vidal Silva. His son Alessandro stayed in the headlines after the former 2-time UFC Middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya mocked him after knocking out Pereira at UFC 287.

The 37-year-old Brazilian decided to carry the names of his sons on his body. Pereira has beautiful letterings of ‘Alessandro’ and ‘Lohan’ on each of his arms. He also once stated that they provide him with a lot of motivation to keep going when times are tough.

4. UFC Belt Tattoo

Almost every UFC fan is aware of the infamous beef between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. After defeating ‘Izzy’ two times in kickboxing, fans also witnessed him making his way into the UFC to continue the rivalry. ‘Poatan’ also got the better of his coveted rival, Israel Adesanya, when they first met inside the UFC octagon at UFC 281.

Following his win over his most notable rival, Alex Pereira would spare no time to make this moment an even more memorable one by inking a couple of championship tattoos on both of his biceps. However, he would end up losing the 185-pound belt at UFC 287 before making his way to Jon Jones’ previous territory, the light heavyweight division.

5. Animal Tattoo

Alex Pereira seems to be an animal lover since he has a couple of visible animal tattoos on his body, with the first one being a gorilla. The gorilla is often referred to as a symbol that showcases strength and independence with a deep-rooted relationship with nature.

The other animal tattoo that Alex Pereira has inked on his body is of a Brazilian Jaguar. Now, what does that mean? Well, that tattoo is a representation of the way he fights – ferociously, aggressively, and showing no forgiveness at any point of a fight.

6. Tribal Tattoo

Now, there’s no need to mention how much Alex Pereira loves and respects his roots. He even took the UFC belt after winning it at UFC 281 to his ethnic community of the Pataxo tribe and helped them in any way possible. Moreover, Pereira cemented his love for his community with a few tribal tattoos.

We all know that Alex Pereira likes to showcase his community’s traditions during weigh-ins. And how does he do that? Well, the UFC champion wears a feathered hat, and he’s even inked a tattoo that represents that headwear on his body.

Coming back to the fighting side of things, people thought light heavyweight would be a big challenge for Alex Pereira, but he’s steamrolled through everyone he’s faced and things seem to be pretty easy for the Brazilian. However, UFC 313 will be a big test for him, at least, that’s what the fight community believes. But, what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.