UFC champion Alex Pereira has found massive success in the UFC as a mixed martial artist. This has resulted in massive paydays which he is now using to help out his home country of Brazil in battling one of the worst natural disasters of the last decade. Recently, devastating floods have ravaged the south of Brazil, killing hundreds and displacing thousands if not more
In a recent podcast appearance on the ‘MMA Hoje’ YouTube channel, Pereira shed light on the situation in the South of Brazil. He also went on to pledge a whopping $100,000 and an additional $20,000 for rescue efforts. During the podcast he said,
“Many people from the south are in need there, because of the rain and floods… Recently, I made a donation out of my own pocket, no one helped me with anything. Apart from the other donations I made, I donated $100,000 of food to people in need here in Brazil. Now I’m also going to donate another $20,000 to the south, for this tragedy that happened… I do what I can.”
According to officials, at least 85 individuals lost their lives in the floods, and over 150,000 more have had to leave their homes. At the same time, the likelihood of discovering the missing people is decreasing by the hour, and several towns still remain isolated. Furthermore, this week’s forecasted heavy rains are anticipated to worsen the situation in the area.
Many locals were forced to flee their houses, and rescue personnel evacuated some from the most vulnerable areas. Pereira’s donations will certainly help in rehabilitating the people who have lost their homes and other assets during the floods.
Well, even as Pereira won hearts with his selfless donation, people are quite curious to find out what’s next for him in the UFC, and from the looks of it, a title defense is very much on the cards.
What is next for Alex Pereira?
Alex Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. Following the win, he stated that he wanted to return to action at UFC 301 in Brazil. However, the turnaround time was too little for him to make the move. In addition to this, he also stated that he wanted to move up another weight class and challenge for the heavyweight belt.
Unfortunately for Pereira, it is unlikely that the UFC will let him do that without a few defenses at 205 pounds first. Recently, Jon Jones has also toyed with the idea of a fight with Pereira and stated that it would be bigger than a fight against Aspinall. The options in front of Pereira are plenty at the moment, but in all likelihood, his next fight will be a defense of his light heavyweight title.
