“On paper he won that” – Son trolling Alex Pereira by picking ‘fierce rival’ Anthony Smith in UFC 5 gameplay leaves fans in splits

Alex Pereira's son chooses Anthony Smith to fight him in the UFC 5 game

“On paper he won that” – Son trolling Alex Pereira by picking ‘fierce rival’ Anthony Smith in UFC 5 gameplay leaves fans in splits

Alex Pereira's son chooses Anthony Smith in the UFC 5 game (via Imago/X)

Rivalries can be fierce in MMA, but sometimes they’re just child’s play. Quite literally, in this case. Alex Pereira, the UFC light heavyweight champion, recently found himself in an unexpected bout. The opponent was his son, armed with a video game controller. His son picked none other than Pereira’s rival Anthony Smith.

The hilarious moment was captured during a recent episode of UFC 303 Embedded. Pereira’s son decided to spice things up during some family gaming time. The son chose Anthony Smith for the UFC 5 gameplay. Smith, of course, is one of Pereira’s fiercest rivals. The duo have had several online altercations in recent times.

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Pereira had even challenged Smith to a grappling match with a $50K reward for winning. He had also stated that Smith liked to talk badly about his grappling. But the video game matchup added a touch of humor to their rivalry. The clip showed Pereira eventually winning the digital fight via ground and pound. 

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Pereira is set to face Jiri Prochazka at the main event of UFC 303 after Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from the card due to a broken toe. The fate of the light heavyweight division rests on this matchup. To add spice to UFC 303, Smith competes against Roman Dolidze on the main card headlined by Pereira.

Fans reacted to Alex Pereira’s son picking Anthony Smith

A recent video of UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and his son has set social media ablaze. The clip showed Pereira’s son choosing Anthony Smith as his character in the UFC 5 game. He then proceeds to fight against his father’s in-game avatar.

Fight fans reacted to Alex Pereira's son playing as Anthony Smith
Fight fans reacted to Alex Pereira’s son playing as Anthony Smith (via MMA Mania/ EuroSport)

This playful moment has sparked a flurry of reactions from fight fans across the internet. The majority of the reactions were filled with hilarious memes and funny anecdotes. Many fight fans couldn’t help but chuckle at the young Pereira’s cheeky choice of fighter. A subset of fans felt that this was a shot at Smith. Check out some of the reactions:

Overall, this light-hearted moment has been a welcome distraction for fight fans. It’s a reminder that even in the world of professional fighting, family comes first. As UFC 303 approaches, this video serves as a perfect palate cleanser. It adds a touch of humor to the often intense world of MMA.

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