From the Octagon to the Poker Table: Pereira Joins Stake.com’s Poker Promotion

We have nothing but words of praise for Alex Pereira. Poatan is one of the most spectacular fighters to ever grace the octagon. His UFC career was nothing short of remarkable. Also, the years in Glory, while he was only kickboxing, are also well remembered by fans of combat sports as he was a two division there too. Alex is not only a well rounded MMA fighter, a good person, a charismatic athlete, but also wise in his business ventures. 

In addition to one of a kind career since joining the ranks in UFC, in recent months, Alex Pereira has signed an interesting sponsorship deal. Poatan is one of the ambassadors for the online casinos and sports betting outlet Stake. If you were to bet on UFC 320 or any of the upcoming MMA events, they offer the best odds and betting markets tied to combat sports. The partnership between Pereira and Stake is a spot on collaboration as they both strive for greatness in their respective domains. 

In the days following UFC 320 it has become more than evident that while Pereira still has plenty to give to the UFC, even if he does not stop fighting now, his name is going to be written in gold letters in the history of UFC/MMA. Pereira who was a champion in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions lost the latter title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. The rematch was in the works shortly after, and at UFC 320 we got an opportunity to see what these two men have to offer to the sport. 

On the eve of UFC 313 Big Ank was at the top of the world. The title was his, and he held onto his 14 fight unbeaten streak. During that span he recorded 12 wins, a split draw, and a single no contest. Magomedov is not known for his finishing ability, but more for his ability to wrestle and grapple, but he still took down six of his opponents via KO/TKO. His striking was always impressive and we had a chance to see that during his first fight with Alex. 

During their UFC 313 encounter, Magomed was at the top of his game. On more than a few occasions he managed to wobble Pereira, keeping him on alert via left overhead strikes, and not allowing him to adapt to one of a kind southpaw stance. Big Ank had a match under his control despite the fact that he failed to land a single takedown. The pressure was there, and when it was all said and done, it was more than enough for a title win. Ankalaev and the team around him believed that more of the same would be enough to win against Alex Pereira once again. The bookmakers believed the same, as the odds favoured Magomed in the rematch. 

Being an underdog was not a role Alex Pereira was used to nor he was willing to accept. Leading up to the first duel with Magomed Ankalaev, Poatan was on a five win streak, three of which were titled defences. Before Big Ank, the only man who managed to defeat him was none other than Israel Adesanya. What was surprising for both the fans and MMA experts after UFC 313 was the fact that Alex failed to take advantage of his superb striking and hasn’t landed a single significant shot on Ankalaev. Many fighters in the past fell to his left hook after a counter, but Big Ank remained immune to it during the first bout. 

This time around, at UFC 320, Poatan decided to focus more on his strengths rather than trying to minimize the ones Big Ank possessed. His entire training process leading up to UFC 320 focused on striking and grappling, looking to dominate the match from the get go. He was right to do so, as the rematch was a quick encounter, which ended up in a dominant Alex Pereira’s win. 

Alex Pereira felt bad during the period he was not an UFC champion. He let both the world and Magomed Ankalaev know it. In the aftermath of UFC 320 he was once again crowned the light heavyweight champion. It took him a tad bit less than 90 seconds to get his crown back. We have nothing against Big Ank but the world is a better place when Pereira is the champion. This is the second time Pereira has been crowned the light heavyweight champion. 

For Poatan, the goal was clear from the start, close the distance on Ankalaev from the get go and mount pressure on him from round one. Alex executed his game plan to perfection, and in no time managed to land an overhand right. The strike landed on Big Ank’s temple, and the champion was shaken. He quickly attempted a panic shot, but he was not fooling Pereira. Alex recognized the fact that Ankalaev was firing blanks, and retaliated immediately with a string of punches and elbows. It didn’t take long for the referee, Herb Dean, to see that Big Ank was struggling and that if the fight continued Alex would tear his head off. 

Taking down an opponent via KO/TKO in the first round was a trademark performance from Alex Pereira and the one we’re used to from him. This Pereira was the one that everyone expected at UFC 313 too. It was clear that Poatan wants to prove a point, and we can say that he did precisely that. The no nonsense approach that he took, showing no respect to the reigning champion paid off. Poatan, the 38 year old Brazilian combat prodigy, made history at the UFC 320 as he became a three time UFC champion, and only the third fighter to win the light heavyweight title on two separate occasions. So far, Alex has 10 career UFC wins, with seven of those being championship victories. Now, with the belt once again around his waist, Pereira can dedicate some time to his ventures outside of the octagon. 

Not long ago, the Stake ambassador was recently seen playing poker on Stake, as a part of the ongoing promotion of the Stake’s latest game, the classic Poker. In the promo video, Pereira is seen playing Poker in the locker room before an UFC bout, winning a jackpot, and saying his famous ‘Chama.’ Stake serves as a sponsor to Pereira, but also as the official betting partner to UFC. Their strategy of hiring famous faces from the octagon has been paying dividends so far. 

The pairing between Stake.com and Pereira was a logical one, as the 2024 UFC fighter of the year is one of the most recognizable faces in MMA. His striking ability and precision are traits that Stake tries to mimic in their sphere of operations. The next time you decide to wager on the UFC, and Alex Pereira’s fight, remember that this online casino and sportsbook will have the best betting markets, favourable odds, and high end promotions. 

The foundation of the Stake/Pereira partnership lies in the similarities the two share. It is all about revolutionizing the domains in which they work best. Stake is steadily becoming a leader in UFC betting, and adding Alex to their flock was the right move as he can attract a broad audience in his home Brazil but also from all over the world, and promote games such as Stake Poker. At the same time, Alex has made history as a fighter who defended his title three times and each time won via a knockout. 

The two entities align to perfection and are already off to bigger and better things. Poatan is a box office attraction each time he steps in the octagon, and having a reliable partner such as Stake behind him adds an extra layer of security. At the same time, having access to his 7.5 million Instagram followers is a win for the online casinos and sportsbook. When you want to be the best you need to have the best besides yourself. This approach has been paying off for both Pereira and Stake, and together with his former rivals, and now brothers under Stake, Alexandre Pantoja and Israel Adesanya, they help each other grow. 

While we’re sure that Alex will take some time off and enjoy the spoils of his hard work, his UFC story is still far from being over. Yet, there is no official data on what could be his next challenge. While trilogies are popular these days, many MMA pundits do not believe that he will fight Magomed Ankalaev or Jiří Procházka next. Kamaru Usman is one of those people who want to see a third duel between Poatan and Big Ank. His reasoning lies in the fact that post match both fighters declared that they weren’t at 100% of their abilities. For Pereira, it was a hand injury at UFC 313, while Ankalaev had issues with chest pain leading to UFC 320. For Usman, the fans deserve to see these two settling to once for all fully healthy. 

At the same time, we have Jiří Procházka who is one of the most interesting characters in the UFC at the moment. He is a marauder who finishes his opponents left and right, with Alex Pereira being his kryptonite. After two KO/TKO wins against Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree he has once again put himself into the light heavyweight title contention. The interesting part is that after beating Rountree at UFC 320, Jiří was in the audience for the main event showing his support for Alex Pereira. We are sure that Procházka plans to take a go at the title, with only question remaining whether Pereira wants to wrap up their trilogy considering that he scored two easy wins against the Czech fighter in their past two encounters. 

Another possible fight for Pereira, and we’re talking about fan fiction here, is against Jon Jones at the UFC White House event next summer. While the card for this event hasn’t been decided yet, seeing Jon Jones taking on Alex Pereira on the WH lawn would be a sight to behold, yet we just don’t see it happening. First, Jones has retired. Secondly, we are not sure at which weight these two face off. 

The chances are that it could be a heavyweight bout, as there are rumours of Pereira moving up a division, bulking up, and getting ready to fight the reigning heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. Tom has been a dominant champion, and it would take a lot of preparation for Pereira to be able to win against him. Also, Aspinall is going to defend his title against Cyril Gane before the year ends, leaving the possibility of a Poatan fight slim. 

Unfortunately for both Alex Pereira and UFC, there aren’t too many interesting fights in the heavyweight division to prepare Alex for the Tom Aspinall challenge. This leaves him in the light heavyweight where he only has to wrap up the trilogies against Jiří and Ankalaev. If he decides to go down that route we are sure that he will fight them both. 

In the end, there are still fans who believe that if willing to cut weight, Pereira could go back down to middleweight to test the new champion. Khamzat Chimaev reigns in the division at the moment, and has an undefeated record. The Pereira vs. Chimaev bout would be one for the ages, as the possible venue was also dubbed to be at the White House. Also, some rumours suggest that Khamzat is prepared to go up a division only to get a chance against the Brazilian. He also wasn’t shy to call out Pereira and suggest this fight to the UFC higher ups. 

What’s next for Alex Pereira remains unclear, but whether it’s Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, or Khamzat Chimaev, you can bet we’re in for a spectacular fight.