UFC champion Alex Pereira walks a huge lion, feeds a bear and more during his visit to Dubai

Reigning UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira has put forth a few updates on Instagram. The former Glory kickboxing middleweight and light heavyweight champion recently posted photos and videos from his Dubai vacation to his Instagram handle.

Taking to his Instagram Stories, Pereira provided fans with a look into his vacation. 'Poatan' visited the Al Buqaish Private Zoo in Sharjah, U.A.E. Among the wide variety of animals at the zoo, Pereira notably walked a majestic lion, besides interacting with a bear.

Furthermore, Pereira fed the bear as well as a raccoon, all under the guidance of the zoo personnel. Some of the other animals the UFC star and his entourage saw at the zoo included a monkey, hyena, snake, birds, and several lions and lionesses.

Apart from cruising down the road in U.A.E. and trying local delicacies, Pereira managed to get in some training at the gym. In one of the posts on his Instagram Stories, the Brazilian fighter was seen jogging on a treadmill. Pereira also posted an Instagram video of him hitting mitts alongside a statement that read:

"Vacation in Dubai"

Alex Pereira's most recent fight saw him capture the UFC middleweight championship with a fifth-round TKO victory over longtime rival Israel Adesanya in November 2022. Pereira is scheduled to defend his title against Adesanya at UFC 287 on April 8, 2023.

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John McCarthy foresees Alex Pereira having a potential edge over Israel Adesanya at UFC 287

Alex Pereira previously defeated Israel Adesanya in the sport of kickboxing via unanimous decision in 2016 and by third-round KO in 2017. In an edition of the Weighing In podcast, former MMA referee John McCarthy suggested that Pereira will likely have a mental advantage over Adesanya at UFC 287.

Alternatively, podcast co-host and former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson alluded to the fact that 'Izzy' almost knocked Alex Pereira out in their kickboxing rematch in 2017 and their MMA bout in 2022. While 'The Punk' insinuated that Adesanya could draw confidence from his close fights against Pereira, McCarthy contrarily stated:

"A guy beats you. Now, the first one in kickboxing, you look and you go, 'I don't think I lost that.' Okay, but then he goes and he starches you, so you got that loss and there's nothing you can say, hey, it happens. Then, you have an MMA fight and you're doing well, and he puts you out again. Tell me it's not in the back of your mind. Tell me it's not in the back of your mind, Josh Thomson, you know it is."

Watch McCarthy and Thomson discuss the topic at 7:08 in the video below: