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Alex Pereira, the former GLORY light heavyweight and middleweight champion, has been inducted into the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame. He is the third fighter to receive this honor, after Semmy Schilt and Joe Valtellini.
Pereira, who is from Brazil, had a stellar career in GLORY, where he won 11 fights and lost only four. He defended his middleweight title more times than anyone else in the division’s history. He also became the first and only fighter to hold two GLORY belts at the same time.
Scott Rudmann, the co-founder and Vice Chairman of GLORY, praised Pereira in a press release. He said: "Alex Pereira was one of the greatest champions in GLORY history. His accomplishments in the GLORY ring speaks for themselves, as the only man ever hold the champions belt in two weight classes simultaneously.
“Alex continues to make huge waves in combat sports with his successful shift to MMA, and he continues to bring awareness back to the stand-up combat. He devotes time and money to community service in his home country of Brazil, and he is a wonderful guy, always humble about his enormous accomplishments. We’re proud to have in the GLORY Hall of Fame.”
Pereira is also known for his epic rivalry with Israel Adesanya, who is now the UFC middleweight champion. The two fought twice in GLORY, with Pereira winning both times. The second fight ended with a vicious knockout by Pereira.
The feud continued in the UFC, where Pereira challenged Adesanya for the middleweight title. Pereira knocked out Adesanya again to become the new champion, but Adesanya avenged his losses in their rematch.