Alex Pereira has extended his contract with the UFC. What's next for the former Glory champion
Article by Robert Vîrdol – Published Wednesday, March 18, 2026 8:57 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, March 18, 2026 8:57 p.m.
Alex Pereira (38 years old) prepares to fight Ciryl Gane (35 years old) from the White House for the interim heavyweight title. The Brazilian relinquished his light heavyweight belt to move up to a higher division, and the UFC offered him a new contract, which he signed without hesitation.
With the announcement made by Dana White related to the matches at UFC 250, the fighters began to promote themselves as much as possible to draw attention to the duel they will have. Alex Pereira is one of the hottest men in the UFC, but one aspect has always put him at a disadvantage. “Poatan” is not an English speaker, but even so he has built a brand.
He found a way to communicate with fans and become more visible by participating in journalist Ariel Helwani's podcast. He was accompanied by a translator, who explained for him how a new contract with MMA's biggest promotion was reached.
Alex Pereira extended his contract with UFC: “I left everything up to them”
Alex Pereira says that after signing a new eight-fight deal with the UFC, he didn't care about vacating the light heavyweight title:
“Honestly, I just wanted to let go of my belt and fight heavyweights, maybe even fight for a belt. But even if it was a regular fight, I just… pic.twitter.com/oNZdRTjVl3
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 16, 2026
The Brazilian was the light heavyweight champion after defeating Magomed Ankalaev and regaining his belt. However, he did not defend his title and relinquished it to move up to heavyweight. Now, the former champion explained why he made this decision.
“Honestly, I just wanted to give up my belt and fight at heavyweight, maybe even for a belt. But even if it was just a regular match, I just said I wanted to do a heavyweight fight, and they treated me really well.
The way they offered me this last contract was so good that I left it up to them to do what they want, it doesn't matter,” Pereira said through a translator.
Alex Pereira, UFC fighter/Photo: Imago Images
What does this contract mean for Alex Pereira, but also the match with Cyril Gane
Alex Pereira is rumored to have eight fights in his new contract, enough time to fulfill his big dream. The Brazilian, who became a fighter after working as a car mechanic, is close to making UFC history as a three-time champion. To date, no other fighter has accomplished this feat.
Alex Pereira has won the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in the UFC, and now he is fighting for the heavyweight belt. He was given the chance to participate in this match after Tom Aspinall was unable to defend his belt. Poatan will fight for the interim title with Cyril Gane, and if he wins, he will be the first fighter to achieve such a feat. Even though it is an interim belt, he would later have the chance to surpass this stage, eventually becoming a triple champion. Pereira also has extensive experience in Kickboxing, where he captured two belts in the Glory division.
Alex Pereira / Photo: Imago Images
Alex Pereira, more than a fighter
It is well known that contact sports are no longer just punches thrown in a ring. MMA or boxing has also become a form of social media entertainment thanks to press conferences.
Being a non-English speaker, he managed to create a brand for himself from one word: “Chama”. This word in Portuguese means flame, and Poatan uses it as an answer to any question.
Thus, following the model of Conor McGregor, he became a brand for the UFC promotion, not just a simple fighter. However, he only managed to do this by repeating one word.
