UFC Champion Alex Pereira Shares Video of Sparring Session with "Fighting Nerds" Star

"Poatan" defended his light heavyweight belt three times last year.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira recently got some sparring in with one of the promotion’s top middleweight contenders.

Pereira Shares Footage Of Sparring Session With Caio Borralho

Celebrated by a number of combat sports outlets as 2024’s “Male Fighter of the Year”, Pereira defended his light heavyweight belt three times during the course of 2024 and finished all three opponents he faced via strikes.

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The former GLORY kickboxing champion joined the UFC with minimal MMA experience in 2021 but scored three wins to secure a middleweight title shot against his former kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, where “Poatan” pulled off a late rally to stop Adesanya in the final round and win the belt.

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Khalil Rountree Jr. (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 307 at Delta Center. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Brazilian has grown into arguably the promotion’s biggest star following his stellar 2024, and although the former middleweight champion abandoned the 185 lbs. weight class after losing that title in a rematch with Adesanya at UFC 287 he recently shared some sparring footage of himself and #6-ranked middleweight contender Caio Borralho.

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A post shared by Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@alexpoatanpereira)

A member of the “Fighting Nerds” team that includes fellow UFC standouts such as Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, and Carlos Prates, Borralho debuted in the UFC in 2022 following back-to-back wins on Dana White’s Contender Series and is undefeated in the Octagon thus far.

May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Paul Craig (red gloves) fights Caio Borralho (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. / Jason Silva-Imagn Images

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“The Natural” made significant waves when he knocked out Paul Craig to earn a main event opportunity against former title challenger Jared Cannonier in August, and Borralho rose to the occasion with a unanimous decision against Cannonier to put himself on the cusp of middleweight title contention as the division's #6 ranked contender.

Neither Pereira nor Borralho currently have fights scheduled at the moment, but with both men seemingly poised for some big opportunities in 2025 their respective divisions should certainly take note of the fact that the pair having been getting some training in together.

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