5 most shocking pre-UFC Alex Pereira KOs

UFC middleweight Alex Pereira is among the most decorated and dangerous strikers in the world. The Brazilian knockout artist's résumé is loaded with jaw-dropping knockouts across multiple promotions. His nickname, 'Poatan', literally translates to 'Stone Hand'.

After becoming a two-division titleholder in GLORY, there was nothing more for Pereira to do in kickboxing. He committed to MMA in 2021, and in just four fights in the UFC, laid claim to the middleweight championship.

'Poatan' has 33 professional kickboxing wins under his belt, of which 21 came by way of knockout. Now competing at the highest level in MMA, Pereira is looking to make his mark in the more multi-dimensional sport just as he did in kickboxing, by adding to his unbelievable highlight reel of vicious knockouts.

On that note, here are Alex Pereira's five best KOs prior to signing with the UFC.

---

#5. Alex Pereira vs. Ertugrul Bayrak

Just three months after his spectacular knockout victory over Donegi Abena (Check #4) to win the GLORY interim light heavyweight strap to become a two-division champion, Alex Pereira dropped back down to middleweight for one last title defense.

At GLORY Collision 2, 'Poatan' locked horns with Ertugrul Bayrak.

Pereira thoroughly outclassed Bayrak for as long as the fight lasted. The challenger struggled against the middleweight champion's reach and pressure, and with each passing second, it felt as though a signature 'Poatan' KO was inevitable.

At the three-minute mark, Pereira uncorked a monstrous left hook which sent Bayrak flying into the ropes before collapsing to the ground. This remains the hard-hitting Brazilian's last knockout in the kickboxing ring.

---

#4. Alex Pereira vs. Donegi Abena

After defending his GLORY middleweight title four times in succession, Alex Pereira had no new challengers to take on. He then opted to move 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 fight were evenly contested, with both fighters enjoying moments of success. Abena was clearly wary of the power coming back his way in the opening rounds and chose to stay on the outside rather than engage Pereira in the pocket.

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

---

#3. Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2

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 controversial decision victory. A year later, they ran it back in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at GLORY of Heroes 7.

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

Israel Adesanya fully transitioned to MMA after his KO loss to Alex Pereira, joining the UFC and compiling a scorching run of victories to win the middleweight championship. 'The Last Stylebender' then went on to become one of the most dominant champions in the promotion, which prompted Pereira to follow him to the octagon.

'Poatan' signed with the UFC in 2021 and racked up three wins to earn a shot at his former foe Adesanya's title. They locked horns in the main event of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden last year, with Pereira becoming the first fighter to defeat the then-champion at 185 pounds.

---

#2. Alex Pereira vs. Jason Wilnis 3

At GLORY 65 in 2017, Alex Pereira took on 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 'Poatan' suffered a unanimous decision loss. Now 0-2 against Wilnis and with redemption on his mind, Pereira was looking to make a statement in the GLORY 65 headliner.

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

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

Pereira delivered a similar knockout on his UFC debut at UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2021.

After enduring a grappling-heavy first round, the powerful Brazilian brutally knocked out Andreas Michailidis just moments into the second with a perfectly-timed flying knee to pick up his first win in the world's premier MMA promotion.

---

#1. Alex Pereira vs. Thomas Powell – 'Poatan's last fight before signing with the UFC

Alex Pereira's final 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 more lucrative 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.

Just two years after this knockout, Pereira became the UFC middleweight champion.