Two-weight UFC champion Alex Pereira’s rise has been remarkable, as he reflected on a journey that has taken him from a Brazilian tire shop to fighting on the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14.
Pereira revealed that just over a decade ago, he was sitting in the “nosebleed” section of a UFC event in São Paulo, so high up he felt he was “hitting his head on the ceiling.” This June, he will fight for his third UFC title in front of a hand-selected crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 VIPs and military members. Despite signing a massive new eight-fight contract with the UFC this week, Pereira remains deeply connected to his roots. He spoke candidly about his life before the global fame.
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The Tire Shop: Pereira worked at a borracharia (tire shop) in Brazil until 2016. He admitted that the version of himself fixing tires never dared to dream of the White House.
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Grounding: Pereira still returns to that same tire shop regularly to remind himself of the struggle.
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Kickboxing Reality: While his run in Glory Kickboxing allowed him to buy a home for his parents, Pereira was honest about its sustainability. He knew he needed the UFC platform to truly secure his family’s future for generations.
“Those guys are my friends. It keeps me grounded to see where I came from. Those guys were very important for my life. Even with what I have, they’re still happy for me — and it’s good for me to go there and learn more about life. It’s important for me not to forget where I came from. Many people start doing well in life and just get too big for their head and disappear.
“I never imagined the White House. I didn’t even imagine I’d make a living from fighting — until ten years ago, or more. The reality of my life really changed once I joined the UFC. Now family is set up. My father always wanted to have a car and he could never have one. A few years ago he bought a little old car, drove a little bit, had a few scrapes — and had to sell it to buy stuff for the house.
“So now I gave him a nice golf cart. He cried. I had never seen my father cry before. I see how many people were trying to get on the card, everybody talking about it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — a unique event everybody wants to be part of. And I’m gifted to be part of it,” Pereira said