Alex Pereira Workout and Diet
Mixed Martial Artist
Alex Pereira is from Brazil. His family was poor and he dropped out of grade school to work. As a teen, Pereira became an alcoholic, and in 2009, he started training in kickboxing as a way to overcome his addiction. In 2014, he won the Glory 14 Middleweight Contender Tournament. Pereira began competing in MMA in 2015 and joined the UFC in 2021. He is the current Light Heavyweight Champ and former UFC Middleweight Champ, and he held both titles for Glory Kickboxing as well. ‘Poatan’ is considered to be one of the best combat athletes of all time. He is divorced and has 2 sons. Pereira has millions of followers on social media. He is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and fights at 205 lbs.
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Alex Pereira’s Diet
Diet Summary
Pereira burns calories like a furnace. As a result, he does not feel the need to restrict his diet. He grew up poor and so appreciates good food. He loves meat, and kicks off the day with bacon. But he eats the entire gamut from sushi to pizza, he loves it all. He was also an alcoholic for several years, goaded by peers and drinking up to a liter of the stuff a day, but he overcame his addiction through kickboxing. He now has coffee in the morning, and drinks plenty of water throughout the day.
Estimated Macros
Medium Fat
Medium Carb
High Protein
Diet Details
Free Rein
Pereira eats whatever he wants, and what he wants is lots of meat, pizza, and dessert.
Battle of the BBQ
Pereira loves his barbecue, and while he loves a Brazilian bbq, he is willing to admit that Argentinian is also good.
Secret to Weight Loss
Pereira has the amazing ability to drop weight to make his weigh-ins before a match. His secret? He’s not telling.
Hydration Is Key
For Pereira, rehydration after a weigh-in is essential so he has the energy to fight. Fortunately, he’s up to the task.
What to Eat
- Whatever you want
- Meat
- Veg
- Pizza
- Bacon
- Dessert
- Coffee
- Water
What to Avoid
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Not eating enough
Pereira on his diet
‘I’m eating very well now.’
Pereira on his pre-match diet plan
‘I had no restrictions.’
Pereira on how he preps for a match, dietwise
‘I can eat whatever I want.’
Alex Pereira’s Workout Routine
Workout Routine
Life Saver
Kickboxing became Pereira’s lifeline out of alcohol addiction. When he first started at the gym, he never suspected he was on his way to greatness.
Helping Hand
Pereira’s talent was first recognized by Wilson Nunes, but he felt young Pereira needed a better coach, and so guided him toward Belocqua Wera.
Jaguar Style
Wera used Pereira’s ancestry to inspire his training, and named his unique style of kickboxing ‘Jaguar.’
Daily Dose
Pereira works hard, training for an hour and a half to 2 hours each day. But he doesn’t let training take over his life.
Strength & Power
In addition to sparring and shadowboxing, Pereira does 5 rounds for 3-5 minutes with the heavy bag. Then he does it again with pads.
Cardio King
Besides boxing, Pereira also jumps rope, does box jumps and medicine ball slams as part of his cardio routine.
Core Matters
Pereira does plenty of core work both to resist hits and build power behind his punches. Some staples include planks, Russian twists, deadlifts and kettlebell swings.
Recovery Matters
Pereira does not work out all day. When his gym sessions are done, he makes a point of relaxing and doing other things so he can enjoy training.
Exercise Style
An Alex Pereira Routine
- Heavy bag: 3-5 min rounds x 5
- Pad work: 3-5 min rounds x 5
- Med ball slams: 10 x 4
- Box jumps: 8 x 4
- Sprints: 100 m x 5
- Agility ladder: 4 sets
- Jump rope: 3 min x 3
- Deadlifts: 6 reps x 4 sets
- Plank: 1 min x 3
- Russian twists: 15 reps/side x 3 sets
- Kettlebell swings: 12 reps x 4 sets
Pereira on how he trains
‘When I’m training, I love being around people with good energy…that’s the kind of camp we have.’
Pereira on his training sessions
‘We do our work and we put the time in. For that hour and half, two hours…it’s total focus.’
Pereira on going up a weight class
‘Making middleweight became so hard, it was just about [impossible].’
Alex Pereira’s Supplements
Pereira is keeping his supplement routine on the down low, so below are options that may benefit anyone following a similar diet.
B-Complex Vitamin
Pereira is someone who struggled with alcohol addiction, so a B-complex vitamin can help counteract deficiencies.
D-Phenylalanine
The amino acid d-phenylalanine can help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Glutamine
Glutamine reduces nausea, boosts immunity, and improves digestion.
Kudzu Root Extract
Kudzu root extract can help reduce alcohol cravings and is also anti-inflammatory.
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is also commonly associated with alcoholism, and supplementing can help reduce fatigue, depression, and stomach upset.
Alex Pereira’s Lifestyle
From the Favela to Fame
Pereira certainly did not expect to grow up to be an internationally famous fighter. Born into poverty, he dropped out of school as a child and went to work for a bricklayer and then in a tire shop where he was paid in alcohol rather than money. To kick the drinking habit, he took up kickboxing.
Strong Roots
Pereira’s coach Belocqua Wera discovered they both had indigenous heritage, and harnessed that pride and connection to Pereira’s past into his kickboxing.
What’s in a (Nick)Name?
In Pereira’s ancestral language of Tupi, ‘po’ means hand and ‘atan’ means ‘solid,’ so ‘Poatan’ means ‘stone hand.’ He has a tattoo of rocks on his left hand.
The Jokester
Pereira may look fierce, but he can cut loose too. He once rolled up a napkin and offered it to his coach Glover Teixeira, holding it with chopsticks like a piece of sushi. Pereira cracked up when Teixeira bit into it.
Amazing Weight Trick
Pereira is a jokester, and he has another trick up his sleeve: he can put on 20-30 lbs. between weigh-in and a match.
Triple Champ?
Pereira has already been middleweight and light heavyweight champ, and is considering going up another weight class to heavyweight.
Pereira’s coach on his personality
‘He loves to have a good time and joke around, but when it’s time to get to work, he gets to work.’
Pereira on his weight at a fight vs. at weigh-in
‘When I fought at 185 lbs, I entered the cage at about 210 lbs.’
Pereira on going up to heavyweight
‘If my body tells me I need to go to heavyweight, okay. But I think I’ll need to put on a lot more muscle mass, so we’ll see.’
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