What is the meaning of Alex Pereira's nickname 'Poatan'?
Like most other Brazilian fighters, Alex Pereira's nickname or fight name is an intrinsic part of his identity. The former middleweight champion is referred to as 'Poatan' inside the cage. Fans often wonder what the nickname means. The answer lies in the vicious knockouts that Pereira often scores.
What is the meaning of Alex Pereira's nickname 'Poatan'?
According to Glory Kickboxing, where Pereira competed before, 'Po' in his native language Tupi stands for hand whereas 'Atan' can be translated to something solid, or stone-like. Hence, the fighter's nickname means 'Stone Hand'. Pereira has marked the same with a tattoo of pebbles and rocks on his left hand.
The nickname was given to Alex Pereira by his first kickboxing coach, Belocqua Wera, a Sao Paulo native of indigenous origin.
In a 2022 interview with UOL Esporte, Pereira shared how he came to be known as 'Poatan'. He said that during their training days, Belocqua asked if Pereira had indigenous heritage and made him ask his family members. Pereira found out that his grandparents were of Pataxo ancestry from Bahia, Brazil.
"When I told him [Belocqua], he was super happy and said: 'His strength, his appearance, everything indicated that he had something linked to indigenous culture.'... We worked on it and he gave us this nickname: Poatan. It would be a strong hand, that's how I explain it to everyone. Some people say stone hand, I actually got it tattooed on my hand."
Over the course of his combat sports career, Alex Pereira has been known for the power he has in his hands. His knockouts of elite UFC fighters are testaments to it.
In a 13-fight fight professional MMA career, Pereira has won 11 bouts, out of which nine have come via knockout.
Alex Pereira's catchphrase 'chama' has also become a popular phenomenon among MMA fans
Alex Pereira's entertaining fighting style and likable personality have transformed him into one of the most popular active UFC fighters. While he is known for his devastating finishing ability inside the octagon, the Brazilian has also entertained the fans with his sense of humor and hilarious online presence.
Like his nickname, Pereira's catchphrase, 'chama' has also been adored by fight fans in recent times. While the term could have several meanings in the Portuguese language, 'Poatan' often uses it as an expression like 'let's go' or 'come on'.
From UFC CEO Dana White to fighters like Daniel Cormier, Zhang Weili and Deiveson Figueiredo, many notable figures have used the catchphrase in recent times.