Alex Pereira Exclusive UFC 320 Interview

We spoke to UFC light heavyweight champion and Stake Ambassador, Alex Pereira, as he prepares for his main event bout against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.

Pereira will headline the event alongside fellow stake ambassador Merab Dvalishvili, live from Las Vegas, on Saturday 4th October.

Here at Stake.com, we offer the best UFC betting odds on Stake Sportsbook, as well as free live streams of all the MMA action. As proud sponsors of the UFC, we also offer major promotions like our UFC Split Decision Insurance.

For more information on how to bet on UFC Fight Night, check out our UFC betting guide, or the latest UFC picks and predictions from our experts.You’re used to saying that every fight of yours is a war. Would that make this upcoming October 4th fight the biggest war of all?

It’s hard to say but you know the reality is every fight is tough, regardless of whether it is a five round decision or a first round finish. I count the camp and the training as part of the fight so it’s always a war, it’s always a whole process. It’s tough on me and I’m sure it’s tough on everyone else who fights too.

What tactical or technical changes have you made to tilt the outcome in your favour this time around as opposed to UFC 313?

I’ve not made too many tactical changes. I would say there are two details that we’re working on that we’re getting corrected. But the reality is there is always room for improvement, there are always mistakes we make in the fight that we try to correct next time and that is kind of the process.

Would you say that this belt is naturally yours, and now you are just getting it back to where it belongs?

For sure. Even in the last fight, there was always a lot of people saying “Who’s going to be able to take the belt from me?” and all these things. So, yeah it was upsetting, but now I have the chance to show my work again, and work on doing better and being different.

I want to speak about UFC 320 more generally. Two of your previous contenders, Prochazka and Rountree, are fighting on the same card. How do you see that fight playing out?

It’s hard to say. You know, I think Jiri has really great movement and footwork. Khalil is very good as well, but I think it might be a little complicated for him because of all the movement of Jiri. It could be a tough fight.

And with that fight, and Dvalishvili vs Sandhagen, of course UFC 320 is a massive event. With you as a headliner, does having such a good undercard really heighten the excitement of the whole event?

I’m so focused on my fight. I know Merab is fighting that night but I don’t know anything else about the card to be honest.

Do you feel the pressure to carry Brazilian Mixed Martial Arts on your shoulders? Or are you just focused on your fight?

I don’t think there’s necessarily any pressure. I know that people say a lot of things, and expect a lot of things but the reality is that I’ve accomplished a lot in martial arts in general and the UFC. So I don’t really think there’s that pressure on me because I have already achieved it. It would be different if I was there, very close to achieving it, and it was either I’m going to make it or I’m not. I’ve already made it and I’ve scored that goal already, so it’s not necessarily pressure on me.

What do you think future generations of Brazilian fighters need to do to maintain the legacy created by champions like yourself?

I think they need to keep doing what they’re doing. There’s a lot of new younger guys coming up, doing a really good job. Obviously, defeats happen, but it’s part of the game. There’s a whole new wave of talented, promising guys coming up and they need to keep doing what they’re doing.

UFC and Mixed Martial Arts in general has become such a more mainstream sport in recent years. How pivotal is a role do you think fighters like yourself have played in the growth of the sport as a whole?

It’s hard to say. What I do feel and what I hear people saying is that maybe I relit that fire for Brazil. Maybe people were a little unmotivated following MMA after Anderson stopped fighting. So, maybe I carried on a little bit of Anderson’s legacy, continued that a bit and really relit that fire for MMA in Brazil.

You’ve previously considered moving up to heavyweight. Is this still something you would like to do?

Everything is possible. I think I’m doing well at 205, I think it’s a great division for me. But, we can’t rule out the possibility of going to heavyweight someday.

Looking back on your rivalry with Adesanya. How does that make you feel now? Are you happy you got to experience something like that?

Yeah, for sure. I mean I think it was one of the greatest if not the greatest rivalry in the company. We were always respectful, there was never anything aggressive or anything like that. I definitely think it’s a rivalry that’s going to go down in the history of the UFC.

Looking back, what advice would you give to the younger version of yourself?

Looking back and seeing everything that happened, I would tell my younger self to keep moving forward and keep the discipline and not give up because great things are going to happen.

When your fighting career is over, do you see yourself staying in Martial Arts? Maybe as a coach or do you see yourself moving onto something different?

I see myself being involved in Martial Arts - I don’t know in what capacity but I do see myself staying in Martial Arts. My sons are training and they’re dedicated and want to fight, so I think that that’s something that’ll keep me in the game, for sure!

What’s your most important training ritual before a fight?

There’s no special rituals - it’s just keeping my focus, staying concentrated throughout camp and on fight day.

How important has Glover Texereira’s mentorship been in your career - both in aiding your mental and technical capabilities?

I think it’s all around, in all aspects - mentally, technically, everything, I’ve learnt a lot from Glover. Everything that he went through and how we made it. You know, he even says so himself how I pick up things really easily so I’m learning a lot from him and just all round, he’s a great influence!

You’ve fought in so many great fights and I know we’ve talked about Israel Adesanya but who is the fighter you’ve enjoyed fighting against the most, bearing in mind you have another rematch coming up?

Basically, all my training camps are super tough and I deal with a lot of injuries and other things, it’s not a fun process, not necessarily an enjoyable process. It’s hard to think of great memories of going through that - it’s kind of like saying you’ve been to two wars, which one did you enjoy more, to be honest.

When you watch younger fighters in your gym or other fighters on the UFC roster, who excites you as being part of the next wave of Martial Artists?

To speak to Brazil, the guys from Fighting Nerds are obviously blowing up and having great success, they’ve got four guys who are high up there [in the rankings] already but they have a lot of other guys coming up too. So just to mention one team, I think those fighters are going to make a big impact.

What’s one misconception fans may have about you when they only see the fighting side of Alex Pereira?

A lot of people see me and I’m a guy who keeps himself to himself, I’m not very open. Especially in the position I’m in today, a lot of people come in and try to be friends, get closer to me. I pick and choose very closely who is my friend and who is close to me. A lot of times, especially when I started in the UFC, people started saying I’m stone faced and all of that and they think I’m in a bad mood and this rude guy, but a lot of that is just being myself and being shy too.

And if you weren’t a fighter, what do you think would be doing?

I would work in a tyre shop.