“If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime,” This quote was made by famous writer Benjamin Alire Saenz and it fits perfectly in the story of light-heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. ‘Poatan’s journey to the top of the fighting world was never easy as he had to face the demons of addiction. There was a time when the fighter worked in a tire shop to make ends meet. Years later, he is teaching young kids about the consequences of addiction in a rehab center.

That’s right—Alex Pereira, in his latest endeavor, has taken the initiative to give back to the world by sharing his story in front of a rehab center and sparring with the kids. Let’s have a close look at it.

Alex Pereira spars with kids as he shares his journey

Born in poverty in Sao Paulo, Alex Pereira’s life was surrounded by sadness in the Brazilian Favelas. His childhood is nothing but a story of struggle. Due to a lack of proper guidance in his childhood, ‘Poatan’ dropped out of his primary school and took up a job as a bricklayer’s assistant forgoing his education forever. Soon after, he found a small job in a tire shop, where he was paid not in cash but in alcohol.

This was the start of his addiction. He became so desperate for alcohol that he was drinking a liter of it in a go before he decided to get hold of his lifestyle. Regardless, it’s been years since Alex Pereira has touched a drop of any alcoholic beverage and it has worked miracles for him. Well, now that he has conquered his addiction, it’s time for him to give back to his community, and that’s what he has been doing.

While having a playful session with the kids at the rehab center, Pereira took the time to share his story with everyone. The light-heavyweight champion uploaded it on his Instagram handle and captioned it, “I’m very happy to be able to motivate people who are going through this big problem that is addiction. I’m here to talk and show that if you want to do it, you can do it.”

Back in 2020, an 8-year sober ‘Poatan’ talked about his journey to MMA Fighting. “It was an addiction .We’re in that moment, drinking, and we say, ‘I’ll stop when I want to.’ I had that in my mind. I decided to stop, it was time to stop, but I couldn’t, and that’s when I realized it was ugly.

He confessed about relapsing a few times while trying to quit. It was on his fourth attempt that he was able to beat his demons. In fact, Pereira developed a healthy addiction to training to beat his addiction to alcohol.

He said. “People ask my mom, ‘Maria, how’s your son Alex?’, and she says, ‘He’s the pride of the family.’ How am I going out to get hammered knowing it’s wrong, that I’ll disappoint my family? People will ask my parents about me and they’ll say ‘it’s complicated, he’s drinking too much, he’s not dedicating in training anymore.’ That’s bad. I worship that, that’s what keeps me on the right track.”

After͏ taking control of his life, the first͏ thing Per͏eir͏a did was return to his tribal origin͏s. He went back to the Pat͏axó tribe of Bahia, Bra͏zil, ͏for an awakening. During this journey, Pere͏ira was reborn as “Poatan,” which me͏an͏s “hands ͏of stone” in the ol͏d Tu͏pi ͏lan͏gu͏a͏ge͏.͏ Well, this is not the first time that the light-heavyweight champion has surprised people for their happiness.

The time when Pereira cried for his fan

Alex Pereir͏a mi͏ght b͏e one of ͏the͏ scari͏est fighters ͏with͏ a poker fa͏c͏e i͏n the UFC, but even͏ this giant h͏as a heart t͏hat melts when he ͏w͏itnesses the ͏st͏ruggles of͏ his ͏fans. T͏hat’͏s exa͏ctly what happened w͏hen ‘Poatan͏’ ͏met a yo͏ung fan who asked the ͏li͏ght-heavyweight ͏champion ͏to gi͏v͏e him a͏ shave. The reas͏on? The fa͏n was batt͏ling ͏cancer. ‘Poatan’ was visiting a children’s hospital in Australia when the fan made the request.

Alex Pereira obliged the young fan’s request and cut his hair. However, in the midst of the process, ‘Poatan’ broke down and started crying. It was a rare moment for the MMA fans as Pereira seldom broke his character. Witnessing, Pereira’s breakdown, the fan asked the fighter to give him a hug. It was rather a powerful moment that was shared worldwide.

The gesture won the hearts of the MMA community as their very own poker-face champion is more than just a fighter. Well, what’s your take on Alex Pereira’s recent gestures? State your thoughts in the comments below.