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Alex Pereira's Pataxó tribe is of great importance to him, and he recently took to Instagram with a video of himself engaged in a spiritual ritual. He can be seen wearing a feathered headdress, inhaling smoke from an undisclosed substance, likely a hallucinogen, which quickly drew fan attention.
According to the former UFC light heavyweight champion, the ritual's purpise was to recharge his warrior spirit, as he is undergoing preparations for an expected title rematch with Magomed Ankalaev, who defeated him via unanimous decision.
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"Recharging my warrior spirit with the energy of my ancestors"
Check out Alex Pereira's tribe and their ritual:
A flock of fans turned up to the comment section of the Instagram post, with may of them stunned over the video. Some were cracking jokes, while others were calling on 'Poatan' to make more media appearances. In particular, one fan joked about Poatan being a certain winner over Ankalaev in their rematch.
"OH YEAH ITS OVER FOR MAGOMED WE'RE SO BACK"
Another comment, this time from reigning ONE heavyweight champion Oumane Kane, better known as 'Reug Reug.'
"Culture & tradition"
Others called on him to make an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, hinting at Rogan's own use of hallucinogenic drugs.
"Get this man on Joe Rogan IMMEDIATELY"
Some joked about Pereira smoking marijuana.
"It's called smoking very Poatan't weed"
A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:
After a stellar run of form in 2024, which saw him knock out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, and TKO Jiří Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 303 and UFC 307 respectively, he suffered a deflating unanimous decision loss to Ankalaev at UFC 313.
Alex Pereira has deep respect for his heritage
Alex Pereira grew up in poverty, and inevitably found himself in the depths of alcoholism. Fortunately, kickboxing gave him purpose, before his discovery of his indigenous Brazilian heritage gave him focus. Thereafter, he became an exceptional kickboxer, and has frequently honored his roots.
Check out Alex Pereira visiting his tribe:
In fact, he has even turned up to UFC events with his Pataxó tribe elder. So, it stands to reason that he returned to them following just his second loss under the UFC banner.
