Alex Pereira doesn’t seem to have lost his touch when it comes to changing tires.
The UFC light heavyweight champion, who once worked in a tire repair shop and recently changed a flat tire with ease, will defend his light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 303 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pereira was on his way to the airport to catch a flight to Las Vegas when he got a chance to test his tire-changing skills. The taxi he was taking his children to got a flat tire, but he didn’t have a jack. The driver seemed a bit clueless, but “Poatan” managed to get a jack out of his car and get the job done.
“It’s like riding a bike, once you learn it, you can’t remember it again, because I thought I’d never know how to do it again,” Pereira told ESPN through an interpreter, “But Melvin and the kids were on their way to the airport. [in] “I saw another car pulled up, and it had a flat tire. The guy didn’t know what to do, and he was in a real mess. He didn’t have a jack, so he had to borrow one from the other car, but you know what I mean? He did it anyway.”
Pereira dropped out of school at age 12 and began working in a tire repair shop, but the Brazilian took up kickboxing in 2009, and the rest is history. After Pereira won his second UFC title, photos of the 12-year-old champion working in a tire factory went viral on social media.
Mfs from Reddit spotted Alex Pereira working at a tire shop on Google Maps 😂
Twelve years later, he was the UFC light heavyweight champion. pic.twitter.com/Y5pXOJBj22
— Notorious (@Notori6us)
November 15, 2023
After such success in combat sports, it’s understandable that Pereira wouldn’t want to change a tire again, but he claims he actually enjoys the job, and even changes a few tires for fun at his workshop when he visits his hometown.
“like [changing tires]Actually, I [it]”Whenever I go to Brazil, I always go back to the tire shop where I used to work. [at]”… We’re playing, we’re changing tires, we’re having fun.”
Pereira and Prochazka stepped up to save the UFC 303 card after Conor McGregor pulled out of his fight against Michael Chandler due to a broken toe. Pereira claims fans expected more from the card after the main event change. A confluence of factors led Pereira to take on the bout.
“I think on all fronts,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we’re fighting. [of any one thing]I’m not going to take a fight on such short notice. But I think the organization, the fans and the financial side of things will be really good for me. So overall, I felt the love from the fans. They’re now starting to realize that this change is good for the event. They’re more excited to see UFC 303. [I] It all came together in this event. [I’m]
“We’ll fight on Saturday.”
