5 most brutal Alex Pereira knockouts outside the UFC

UFC middleweight Alex Pereira is among the most decorated and dangerous kickboxers in the world. The powerful Brazilian's kickboxing résumé is loaded with scorching knockouts across multiple promotions. His nickname, 'Po Atan', literally translates to 'Stone Hand'.

Pereira is a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion in GLORY. 'Po Atan' has 33 wins in the kickboxing ring, of which 21 came by way of knockout. After putting together a 3-1 MMA record, he fully committed to the more multi-dimensional sport, and in 2021, he signed with the UFC.

Now competing at the highest level in MMA, Pereira will be looking to make his mark in the sport just as he did in kickboxing, by adding to his ridiculous highlight reel of vicious knockouts.

Here are the five most brutal Alex Pereira knockouts outside the UFC.

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#5. Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's last fight in the kickboxing ring was his rematch with Alex Pereira. The duo locked horns for the first time in China in 2016, with Pereira coming away with a debatable decision victory. A year later, they rematched in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at GLORY of Heroes 7.

Adesanya seemingly made the necessary tactical adjustments going into the rematch as he picked apart Pereira in the first two rounds. Looking to exact his revenge, the Kiwi fought recklessly in the third round and ultimately got caught with a clean left hook, which put him to sleep.

The devastating defeat to Alex Pereira in 2017 remains the only knockout loss of Israel Adesanya's storied career in professional combat sports. Over the course of his storied career, comprising over 100 fights across kickboxing, boxing and MMA, the reigning UFC middleweight champion has only been finished on one occasion, at the hands of 'Po Atan'.

A trilogy fight has all the makings of a blockbuster matchup. If it does come to fruition, it will more than likely take place inside the UFC octagon, which further adds to the already intriguing storyline of their rivalry.

#4. Alex Pereira vs. Jason Wilnis 3

At GLORY 65 in 2017, Alex Pereira locked horns with Dutch rival Jason Wilnis for the third time.

Their first fight went down way back in 2012 on the Brazilian regional kickboxing scene, with Wilnis winning via TKO after Pereira's corner opted to stop the fight after the second round.

They squared off for the second time at GLORY 20 in Dubai, where 'Po Atan' suffered a unanimous decision loss. With vengeance on his mind, Pereira was looking to make a statement at GLORY 65.

The first minute of the bout was fairly tetchy as both kickboxers took their time to get a feel for the range early on. Alex Pereira landed a knockdown soon after the opening 60 seconds and Wilnis did his best to recover as the referee gave the 10-second count. However, as soon as the action resumed, he got caught with another vicious blow.

As soon as the referee resumed the fight, Pereira charged towards Wilnis and lunged in with a flying knee, which was the last strike of the bout.

Pereira delivered a similar knockout on his UFC debut at UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden in New York City last year. After enduring a grappling-heavy first round, the powerful Brazilian knocked out Andreas Michailidis just moments into the second with a perfectly-timed flying knee to pick up his first win in the UFC.

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#3. Alex Pereira vs. Donegi Abena

After defending his GLORY middleweight title four times in succession, Alex Pereira had no new challengers to take on in the weight class. As such, he moved up to light heavyweight in 2019 to take on Donegi Abena for the interim championship at GLORY 68 in Miami, USA.

GLORY 68 poster [Image via @KrisDekkerMMA on Twitter]

The first two rounds of the bout were evenly contested, with both fighters enjoying moments of success. Donegi Abena was clearly wary of the power coming back his way in the opening rounds and opted to stay on the outside rather than engage Pereira in the pocket.

In the third frame, Pereira turned up the pace, which forced Abena into some precarious positions. A little over two minutes into the round, 'Po Atan' connected with a hard left hook from close range, which saw his counterpart faceplant into the canvas.

#2. Alex Pereira vs. Ertugrul Bayrak

Just three months after his sensational knockout victory over Donegi Abena to win the GLORY interim light heavyweight strap to become a double champion, Alex Pereira headed back down to middleweight for one last title defense. At GLORY Collision 2, the Brazilian knockout artist locked horns with Ertugrul Bayrak.

Pereira thoroughly outclassed Ertugrul Bayrak for as long as this bout lasted. The challenger struggled against the middleweight champion's reach and pressure, and as each second passed, it felt as though a signature 'Po Atan' knockout was inevitable.

At the three-minute mark, Pereira uncorked a monstrous left hook which sent Bayrak flying into the ropes and then onto the ground. This remains the Brazilian powerhouse's last knockout in the kickboxing ring.

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#1. Alex Pereira vs. Thomas Powell – His last fight before joining the UFC

Alex Pereira's last appearance in the kickboxing ring came at GLORY 78 in the Netherlands, where he came out on the losing end of a majority decision to Artem Vakhitov. At the time, the Brazilian's MMA record stood at 2-1, and he opted to fully commit to the sport.

Just two months after his loss to Vakhitov, Pereira featured in an LFA bout against Thomas Powell and the fight was even broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.

Pereira vs. Powell at LFA [Image via @volkstyles on Twitter]

Alex Pereira made light of Thomas Powell on the night, finishing the American with a thunderous left hook, his most lethal weapon. Powell was reportedly unconscious for several minutes, much like Pereira's victims in the kickboxing ring.