Alex Pereira Shows Off Impressive Skill by Landing a Spinning Goal Kick Days After Weighing in at 258 pounds

Alex Pereira enjoys some football while showing off his athleticism as he prepares to make his heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250.

Alex Pereira Shows Off Impressive Skill by Landing a Spinning Goal Kick Days After Weighing in at 258 pounds

Alex Pereira's impressive feat (via Bleacher Report)

Alex Pereira is one of the most remarkable athletes in MMA, having entered the UFC as a GLORY Kickboxing two-division champion. He rapidly cemented his knockout power in the UFC and became a two-division champion across the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. The Brazilian superstar is now showing incredible athleticism ahead of his heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250.

Pereira began his UFC career in the middleweight division and competed at 185 pounds early in his run. He transitioned from GLORY Kickboxing as a light heavyweight champion and debuted in MMA at middleweight. He later won both the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight titles. However, he is now set to face Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 for the interim heavyweight title.

There have been doubts about Pereira’s athleticism and power moving up to heavyweight. During a recent UFC Embedded, he trained at Teixeira MMA and Fitness in Connecticut with UFC legend Glover Teixeira and Brazilian TV personality Livia Andrade. In a fun moment, ‘Poatan’ landed a spinning kick that sent the ball smashing into the goal. The clip showed another display of his ability and accuracy.

Pereira is known for his demanding and dangerous sparring and training sessions that push partners to their limits. Training partners often struggle to match the pace, pressure, and knockout power of the Brazilian phenom. Even at heavyweight, Pereira was seen training with heavyweight contender Tallison Teixeira ahead of UFC Freedom 250, showing he is already adapting to the division.

Pereira has also been enjoying a lighter and more relaxed approach ahead of his heavyweight debut on June 14th. He was seen running a short road race in Brazil as part of his conditioning work. He also took part in a traditional horse-riding gathering in jungle terrain, reflecting his connection to outdoor training environments. These activities support his preparation while maintaining fitness for UFC Freedom 250.

There have been doubts about Alex Pereira’s physique at 265 pounds following the inaugural UFC Freedom 250 photo shoots. Concerns centered on how his frame would carry power, speed, and endurance at heavyweight. However, he recently weighed in at 258 pounds in the lead-up to fight week. The recent UFC Embedded footage shows Poatan is comfortable in his heavyweight frame during training.

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Alex Pereira asks Ciryl Gane to readdress his controversial style

Ciryl Gane has faced criticism during his UFC career regarding repeated fouls in competition. He has been accused of eye pokes during striking exchanges and distance fighting. There have also been instances of strikes landing to the back of the head in scrambles. Low-blow strikes have also been noted in his fights against Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jon Jones, adding to the ongoing debate around his in-cage discipline.

Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira (via BJ Penn)

Gane’s last title shot at UFC 321 became controversial after a first-round clash with Tom Aspinall in a heavyweight bout. Gane landed a double eye poke in the opening round that left the champion unable to continue. The referee stopped the fight as Aspinall could not recover, resulting in a no contest. Ahead of UFC Freedom 250, Alex Pereira offered advice to Gane regarding his history of fouls.

I am not concerned or something like that, I will just focus on the fight. I understand what happened, and again you start getting burned in the organization because this is not the first time this has happened. He has some irregularities, let’s say. I think he needs to do something; I don’t know what it is, but he needs to be more careful.

Alex Pereira via MMA Fighting

The fallout from Ciryl Gane’s controversial UFC 321 clash with Aspinall continues to shape discussions around his heavyweight career after the result. The incident has raised scrutiny around accidental fouls and their impact on title fights at the highest level. If similar issues occur again in the bout against Alex Pereira, the consequences could be severe for the Frenchman, potentially costing him his UFC career.

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