"That's insane for his weight" - Alex Pereira shares footage of "one of the best sparring" sessions he's ever had against Igor Adiel Macedo

Alex Pereira has shared footage of a spar featuring himself and Igor Adiel Macedo. 'Poatan' deemed it one of the best sparring sessions he's ever experienced. Fight fans soon chimed in on the boxing sparring session, which Pereira claims transpired four years ago, and have lauded him for taking on the heavyweight boxer.

Pereira is a former Glory kickboxing middleweight and light heavyweight champion. He's also a former UFC middleweight champion and the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. He's previously competed in a professional boxing match as well.

Toward the end of a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, Pereira showed himself shadowboxing beside a 'Zuffa Boxing' logo on the mat. Thereby, he seemingly reiterated his desire to possibly compete in the potential boxing venture helmed by UFC CEO Dana White.

The video featured highlights from one of Pereira's sparring sessions against Brazilian heavyweight pro boxer, Igor Adiel Macedo. Pereira expounded upon it in the Brazilian-Portuguese language, with the translation reading as follows:

"What up, people. bringing this video of me sparring boxing with Igor Adiel, one of the best heavyweights in Brazil. I would say one of the best sparring I've had. Guy is sinister. I want to show my evolution, passed about four years."

He added:

"I was in Glory [Kickboxing] still, middleweight. Igor heavyweight -- he is a bit more skinny but still heavyweight. We always trained. Always was a good training. He always gave me work. I always gave him work. I evolved a lot, from these trainings. It was always hard. That's it. Hope you guys like it. Chama."

Check out the video below (*Alex Pereira's comments at 0:02):

The YouTube video piqued fan interest and was subsequently re-posted by several fans on X as well. Multiple fans lauded Pereira for his performance against the heavier fighter. One X user wrote:

"Dang, Alex is so deadly. Absolutely elite striking!"

Another commenter alluded to Pereira's 'Chama' catchphrase and tweeted:

"Chama does not back down"

One observer seemingly referenced Pereira's success across multiple combat sports and tweeted:

"A HOF combat athlete!"

Some netizens highlighted Alex Pereira's supposed lack of defense. A commenter indicated that if he were to compete in boxing, he'd get knocked out worse than he did in his MMA rematch against Israel Adesanya. Another fan tweeted:

"Really needs to work on his defense."

Some viewers speculated that Pereira has evolved. One fan opined he gradually adapted through every round, but a few others felt that Macedo (13-1, 13 KOs) held back against 'Poatan.' Another netizen wrote:

"Bro sparring heavyweights, that's insane for his weight."

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of reactions

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Alex Pereira sparred with heavyweight boxing elite Zhilei Zhang

Alex Pereira posted a few photographs from his boxing sparring session against heavyweight professional boxer Zhilei Zhang in early 2023. The Brazilian combatant expressed his gratitude toward the high-ranking pugilist.

Earlier this year, Zhang waxed lyrical about Pereira's striking prowess and opined that it'd likely translate well at heavyweight too.

Presently, Alex Pereira is scheduled to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship against Muay Thai striking savant Khalil Rountree Jr. Their highly-anticipated showdown is booked to headline the UFC 307 event at the Delta Center in Salt Lake, City, Utah, U.S.A., on Oct. 5, 2024.