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Alex Pereira Opens Up On Struggles With Alcohol Addiction; Encourages Kids Not To Make The Same Mistake
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira spoke about his past as an alcoholic in an attempt to encourage kids to avoid the same mistakes.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of alcohol addiction.
37-year-old Alex Pereira is easily one of the biggest stars in the organization. Poatan recently expressed how his past life as an alcoholic had him struggling as a child. The fighter encourages the younger generation to not fall into the addictive hole like he did.
Poatan believes he can help children with their struggles by talking about his own. He claims that the sport of mixed martial arts helped the Brazilian contender awaken from his dark times. Battling the tragic years of his life, Alex Pereira is the defending UFC light heavyweight champion.
In a short amount of time, Alex Pereira has become one of the most respected champions in UFC history. His likable personality juxtaposed with his brutal knockout power is an aspect of him that fans love the most. Being the light heavyweight champion, Poatan has expressed his desire to defend his belt numerous times and move to the heavyweight division.
However, life was not as glamorous for Alex Pereira. The Brazilian MMA fighter has touched on his alcohol addiction on multiple occasions. The light heavyweight champion found it difficult to turn his life around until he came into mixed martial arts.
From battling difficult times to becoming one of the best fighters in the UFC, Alex Pereira believes he can help the younger generation succeed. On his YouTube channel, the light heavyweight champion travels to Vernon, Connecticut, to give a speech about his trying times and overcoming them.
“Everyone knows my story with the alcohol. I’m a guy who stopped everything. I think I can help the kids out by saying something to them,” said Alex Pereira prior to walking out and delivering his speech. He also claimed he was going to help kids by training them.
Translated by former UFC lightweight champion and friend Glover Texeira, Alex Pereira spoke to the children about his struggles as an alcoholic. Poatan talks about how he struggled to quit, and once he found mixed martial arts, it helped him get rid of his substance abuse issues.
Hailing from Brazil, Alex Pereira claims he did not know the medical assistance facilities that existed. The light heavyweight champion revealed it took him four years to fully overcome his struggles, becoming one of the most loved combat sports athletes in the organization.
The undisputed light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira made his previous title defense at UFC 303. The Brazilian contender defeated Jiri Prochazka for the second time and successfully defended his belt.
Alex Pereira had previously touched on moving to heavyweight and fighting Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall for the belt. He claimed he does not care who he fights as long as he gets the championship title.
Also read: Alex Pereira Gets Support From Fellow UFC Mate as R*pe Charges Take a New Turn
