‘I Trained a Young Mike Tyson – Here’s What Makes Alex Pereira Just as Fearsome’

Alex Pereira’s ‘fear factor’ has seen him compared to boxing legend Mike Tyson. The Brazilian picked up his most impressive victory at UFC 303, defeating Jiri Prochazka with a sensational head kick.

Since he was signed to the UFC back in 2021, Pereira has established himself as a real star and is now one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.

The 36-year-old became a UFC champion in just his fourth fight in the organisation, knocking out former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 back in 2022.

He has since moved up a weight division and struck gold in the 205-pound division after knocking out Jiri Prochazka last year, before going on to defend his title successfully against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.

‘Poatan’s’ skillset and incredible size have made him one of the biggest stars in the sport – and has seen him draw comparisons to many greats in both MMA and the sport of boxing.

Teddy Atlas Claims Pereira ‘Sees Things Other People Don’t See’

He was full of praise for the Brazilian

Boxing trainer Teddy Atlas has coached some of the best boxers the world has ever seen, including Tyson, Barry McGuigan and Shannon Briggs.

It’s fair to say that he’s got exceptional knowledge when it comes to fighting. Atlas believes that Pereira has the vision of Terence Crawford, and – as a result – has developed the intimidating presence of ‘Iron Mike.’

Speaking on ESPN’s UFC 303 Post Show, Atlas said: “He’s got radar. He’s got x-ray vision. He sees things other people don’t see.

“Terence Crawford in boxing is that kind of guy. When you see things and you’re that calm, and you’re in that calm kind of environment, all you can be in, you see things and react just a little bit [faster].

“They call it timing, but he has special timing because he’s that calm and he’s got those kinds of eyes. Also when you get these kinds of results behind it [the staredown]. When a guy can go into your soul, it’s like he’s looking right through.

“There was Sonny Liston, there was George Foreman, there was somebody named Mike Tyson — it worked for them. [Pereira’s opponents are] thinking, ‘How come he don’t feel like I feel like?’ That’s what they’re thinking!

“I feel my heart [pounding], I feel all this. He don’t feel it? So he’s not human?’ That’s where you start to get into that crazy place. That boogeyman place. Right now [Alex Pereira] is the boogeyman.”

Pereira’s Team Made the Note to Add the Head Kick

It certainly paid dividends

Pereira miraculously decided to change his UFC 303 game plan just moments before facing Prochazka. Ahead of the blockbuster rematch between the two MMA stars, footage uploaded to Prochazka’s official Instagram account showed him warming up. The footage exhibits the Czech fighter dropping his hands after every calf kick check.

Pereira’s team were quick to see the clip and opted to make a slight adjustment to their plan ahead of the fight. Speaking after the event, ‘Poatan’s’ coach, Plinio Cruz, revealed the changes the team made just moments before they made the walk to the Octagon.

“I’m hearing rumours that you guys saw something in the warm up videos that got posted on Instagram right before the fight,” a reporter asked Cruz.

“Yeah, man. Be careful what you post before your fights, alright,” Cruz said. “We were browsing on Instagram and I saw somebody post the video of us dancing in the warm up and Jiri getting ready. The way that he was doing, what he assumed was the correct blocks for the calf kicks, was wrong.

“I showed that to Alex and I said ‘let me see the video again,’ he goes ‘when he’s doing this, he’s putting his hands down, I’m gonna kick this guy in the head’.”