Alex Pereira MMA loss: Who is the only fighter to have beaten UFC 287 headliner inside the cage?

Quemuel Ottoni is the only fighter to defeat Alex Pereira in a professional MMA bout to date.

Before transitioning to MMA, Pereira was a world-class kickboxer under the Glory banner. ‘Poatan’ holds a 33-7 kickboxing record, with 21 wins coming by knockout. After becoming a two-division Glory champion at middleweight and light heavyweight, the Brazilian striker sought a new challenge.

In October 2015, ‘Poatan’ made his professional MMA debut against Quemuel Ottoni at Jungle Fight 85. Ottoni was 3-0 at the time, all finishes, and looking to capitalize on Pereira’s name value. In the third round, the former two-division Glory champion learned a lesson about the grappling aspect of fighting, leading to a rear-naked choke loss.

Three months later, Pereira returned to Jungle Fight and secured his first MMA win with a third-round knockout. The Sau Paulo native continued competing in kickboxing before returning to MMA for his second knockout win in May 2016.

Pereira wouldn’t fight in MMA again until November 2020, when he made a statement with a first-round highlight-reel knockout under the LFA banner. ‘Poatan’ would fight two more times in kickboxing before committing to MMA full-time, leading to him signing with the UFC in 2021.

Since joining the UFC, Pereira has been nearly unbeatable. He knocked out two of his first three opponents, securing a middleweight title shot with a promotional record of 3-0.

‘Poatan’ was losing on the scorecards against Israel Adesanya before a shocking fifth-round standing TKO led to the 185-pound title being wrapped around his waist. The 35-year-old will now look to defend his throne for the first time in an immediate rematch against Adesanya on April 8.

Watch Alex Pereira's only MMA loss below:

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Will Alex Pereira suffer his second MMA loss at UFC 287?

Alex Pereira has a tough test waiting for him at UFC 287. Although he holds three wins against Israel Adesanya, two in kickboxing and one in MMA, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has the tools to regain the UFC middleweight championship. Adesanya will have nothing to lose, as this could be his last chance to defeat Pereira.

There is a chance that Pereira will suffer his second professional MMA loss on April 8. In fact, Bovada currently has Adesanya as the -140 betting favorite, with ‘Poatan’ as a +115 underdog. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has mostly dominated throughout their rivalry, but the reigning UFC middleweight champion always finds a way to emerge victorious. Only time will tell if history repeats itself at UFC 287.