The former UFC middleweight champion and two-time light heavyweight champion is among the toughest players in the sport, with a staggering list of knockouts on his MMA resume.
One would assume Pereira dials back his fearsome knockout power in the gym, so as not to hurt his sparring partners. However, it seems that this is not always the case.
On Saturday, a video appeared on social media in which Pereira brutally knocked out a sparring partner. The clip shows the UFC star landing a few hard shots on his sparring partner before turning out the lights with a bone-shattering punch to the chin.
See the footage below (via Championship Rounds on X):
Alex Pereira knocked out his sparring partner with a BRUTAL left hand 😳
(via IG / stand-up strike) pic.twitter.com/uRSHtNqWH2
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 29, 2025
Unsurprisingly, many fight fans were unimpressed to see Pereira dish out so much punishment in the gym.
UFC fans lash out at Alex Pereira for gym KO
“Knocking out your sparring partner is nonsense,” one fight fan wrote in response to the clip. “Recording it and posting it is asshole behavior.”
“And people complain about Strickland hurting sparring partners,” another fan wrote.
“Smart move,” a third user wrote.
While the outrage over this Pereira clip is understandable, the counterargument is that anyone with any sense should know what they’re getting when they step onto the mats with the UFC champion.
In his last fight, Pereira scored one of the most dramatic knockouts of his career, stopping Magomed Ankalaev in the first round to regain the light heavyweight title. He had lost the title to the Russian in his previous fight. After seeing that, everyone should know that sparring with the UFC star is a risky idea. Of course, it could also be that this clip was staged. In the age of social media, you never know.
Where are you in this video of Alex Pereira knocking out his sparring partner?
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