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Alex Pereira Recalls His Alcohol Problems – ‘I Was 12, I Had A Tendency To Drink'

hasib

12 August 2024

Alex Pereira has opened up on his prior alcohol problems to enable others to tackle similar issues.

The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion is one of the best P4P fighters in the world. He has won belts at middleweight and light heavyweight, as he targets a potential title at heavyweight. But the rise to success has not been easy. Pereria recalled how he began drinking at the age of 12. Fast forward to today, Pereria is one of the most disciplined athletes.

Pereira’s Rise

He has shown this on numerous occasions. The Brazilian broke his toe two weeks before his fight with Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. But rather than pulling out of the fight, he took it to stop Hill in the first round. The performance won him many plaudits, especially since Conor McGregor was criticized for pulling out with a broken toe in his fight with Michael Chandler at UFC 303. Pereira would then step in for McGregor at UFC 303 on short notice.

He rematched Jiri Prochazka and knocked him out in the second round. That was the second consecutive stoppage he had obtained against Jiri, just like he had done at UFC 295. Now, he is encouraging others to stay on the straight and narrow if they want to make it at the elite level in their field. Pereira spoke with Glover Teixeira to a groups of youths in Connecticut who had addiction issues.

Pereira’s Struggles

"Well, since I was 12 years old, I’ve always had a tendency to drink alcohol. It was very difficult for me. Every year that passed, it was increasing. There was a time when I decided to stop. Now, where I lived, I didn’t have the knowledge of medical help or a group of people like what is happening here,” Pereira said

"So after four years with the battle, you know going back and forth with alcohol, and after four years he’s [Alex] finally got it," Teixeira stated

That is not the only struggle Alex has been through recently. TikTok influencer Meredith Brown accused him of rape. Brown claims it took place at a New Jersey hotel during the weekend of UFC 302. She claims the assault happened after she was invited by her friend to spend time with the fighter and his assistant. Now, Alex faces a battle to clear these serious accusations.

Pereira’s Accusations

"Took me a while to find the courage to come out and say this, but I’ve been struggling so much with my mental health and I can barely get out of bed these days. Its eating me alive keeping it inside and not talking about it because I’m scared but im hoping this will help me heal and not feel so alone.

"I know some people wont believe me and think im “chasing clout” and stuff like that but I just wanna feel normal again and im hoping maybe me finding the courage to tell my story is the first step in that direction… If any other women have ever experienced this im so sorry, you’re not alone and I hope that this helps you find your voice again too," Brown said