What Do Alex Pereira’s Tattoos Mean? Dragon, Belts & Tribal Inks

A large chunk of fans also might know about Pereira’s troubled times and alcoholism issues before he started kickboxing. Quite understandably, it was Pereira’s love for the sport that propelled him to make it a part of himself forever.

UFC belts

Almost every UFC fan is aware of the infamous beef between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. After defeating ‘Izzy’ two times in kickboxing, fans also witnessed him making his way into the UFC to continue the rivalry. ‘Poatan’ also got the better of his coveted rival, Israel Adesanya, when they first met inside the UFC octagon at UFC 281.

Following his win over his most notable rival, Alex Pereira would spare no time to make this moment an even more memorable one by inking a couple of championship tattoos on both of his biceps. However, he would end up losing the 185-pound belt at UFC 287 before making his way to Jon Jones’ previous territory, the light heavyweight division.

Stones tattoo on the hand

One of Pereira’s most striking tattoos is on his left hand. It’s a design of pebbles and stones, symbolizing his nickname, “Poatan” — which translates to “Hands of Stone.” The ink isn’t just about power. It’s a signature and a reminder that every punch carries the weight of his story.

Wild animals

Alex Pereira seems to be an animal lover since he has a couple of visible animal tattoos on his body, with the first one being a gorilla. The gorilla is often referred to as a symbol that showcases strength and independence with a deep-rooted relationship with nature.

The other animal tattoo that Alex Pereira has inked on his body is of a Brazilian Jaguar. Now, what does that mean? Well, that tattoo is a representation of the way he fights – ferociously, aggressively, and showing no forgiveness at any point of a fight.

Indigenous & tribal inks

Now, there’s no need to mention how much Alex Pereira loves and respects his roots. He even took the UFC belt after winning it at UFC 281 to his ethnic community of the Pataxo tribe and helped them in any way possible. Moreover, Pereira cemented his love for his community with a few tribal tattoos.

We all know that Alex Pereira likes to showcase his community’s traditions during weigh-ins. And how does he do that? Well, the UFC champion wears a feathered headdress, and he’s even inked a tattoo that represents that headwear on his body.

Tattoo for his sons

Becoming a father is obviously one of the most treasured moments of a man’s life. Pereira has experienced this twice. Most UFC fans already know that he has two sons named Alessandro Vidal Silva and Lohan Vidal Silva. His son Alessandro stayed in the headlines after the former 2-time UFC Middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya mocked him after knocking out Pereira at UFC 287.

The 38-year-old Brazilian decided to carry the names of his sons on his body. Pereira has beautiful lettering of ‘Alessandro’ and ‘Lohan’ on each of his arms. He also once stated that they provide him with a lot of motivation to keep going when times are tough.

As such, Alex Pereira’s tattoos are more than art. They are chapters of his life: dragons for power, koi for growth, belts for triumph, animals for ferocity, tribal marks for heritage, and names for love!