Did anyone ever beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing? Looking at 'Poatan's fight record before the UFC

Alex Pereira is set to take on former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka this Saturday at UFC 295. Their bout is expected to be a striking affair, with Procházka being a more traditional martial artist. Meanwhile, fans need only a glimpse at Alex Pereira's kickboxing record to know what he brings to the table.

The Brazilian is a former two-division Glory kickboxing champion, the first in the promotion's history. Despite his elite-level striking skills, 'Poatan' was not an undefeated kickboxer. His record in his former sport consists of 33 wins and seven losses. So, what are Alex Pereira's losses in kickboxing?

His first loss took place back in 2012, before, as Pereira himself claims, he took kickboxing as seriously as he should have. He faced Dutch sensation and future Glory middleweight champion Jason Wilnis, who has beaten both him and Israel Adesanya in kickboxing.

Pereira lost the bout via second-round TKO due to retirement but rebounded with a three-fight win streak that started with a unanimous decision win over César Almeida. However, a rematch with Almeida led to Pereira's second-ever kickboxing loss, as well, coming by way of decision.

After mounting yet another three-fight win streak, he lost again, this time to future Glory middleweight champion Artem Levin, who beat him via unanimous decision. While Alex Pereira strung together two wins afterward, he next faced Jason Wilnis for a second time, suffering yet another decision loss to the same man.

Mounting yet another three-fight win streak, 'Poatan' suffered another defeat, this time a second-round TKO loss at the hands of Artur Kyshenko. While he returned to winning ways, his streak was snapped by three-time Glory middleweight title challenger Yousri Belgaroui, who beat him via unanimous decision.

Galvanized by his losses, 'Poatan' embarked on a 9-fight win streak, during which he avenged some of his losses by beating Yousri Belgaroui twice (first via third-round TKO, then via first-round knockout) and knocking Jason Wilnis out cold in round one.

Unfortunately, on what would have been his 10th straight win, he was beaten by Artem Vakhitov in a rematch, losing his Glory light heavyweight title via majority decision. It remains the Brazilian's last kickboxing fight.

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Alex Pereira's wins over UFC champions

While some fans have questioned the quality of opposition that Alex Pereira has beaten, he has actually defeated three UFC champions, past and present, in just ten fights in the promotion. He famously knocked out Sean Strickland, a future champion, at UFC 276.

He then TKO'd Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, later beating Jan Błachowicz via split decision at UFC 291. Now, against Jiří Procházka, he has the chance to beat his fourth-ever UFC champion.