Since joining the UFC, Alex Pereira has been on a course to face middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. However, in his debut under the Jungle Fight banner, Pereira suffered his only MMA defeat to Quemuel Ottoni.
Ottoni defeated the kickboxer via submission in the third round. The 29-year-old is an impressive MMA fighter and currently has a record of 12 wins and just three losses. Ottoni also recently beat Junior Marques in the LFA 112: Welterweight Grand Prix.
‘Poatan’ has since remained undefeated while fighting in Jungle Fight, LFA and now the UFC. Only one of the Brazilian’s MMA bouts has gone the distance, with Bruno Silva losing via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev.
Pereira is best-known for beating Israel Adesanya twice in their kickboxing careers. The first win came via decision at Glory Of Heroes 1 in 2016. When the two fighters rematched in 2017, the Brazilian knocked Adesanya out cold in the third frame
What does Alex Pereira’s nickname ‘Poatan’ mean?
Alex Pereira’s nickname ‘Poatan’ translates as “Stone Hand”, which is in reference to the power the Brazilian possesses.
View this post on Instagram
THE STYLE BENDERS GRANDPA
Few things spark more heated debates in the MMA sphere than MMA Math.
Take Alex Pereira’s case as an example.
Sure, Pereira was a decorated two-division champion in GLORY, and his definitive move to MMA was inevitably going to draw eyeballs. But the fact he held two wins over UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in kickboxing made him an overnight sensation. After just two UFC wins in four months, he’s already been paired up in a potential No. 1 contender bout with Sean Strickland on July 30.
And that’s how Quemuel Ottoni entered the chat.
Ottoni, who won the vacant Jungle Fight welterweight title by finishing Jose Diaz this past Sunday, gave Pereira his sole loss in MMA back in 2015. Ottoni was 3-0 at the time and MMA debutant Pereira was a decorated kickboxer six months away from his first win over Adesanya.
“I’m Alex’s father and Adesanya’s grandfather,” Ottoni laughed in an interview with MMA Fighting. “People always joke about that in the gym.”
Ottoni, 29, tapped Pereira midway through Round 3 at Jungle Fight 82.
“I believe my heart made the difference that night,” Ottoni said.