When Alex Pereira admitted he was "afraid" while struggling with alcohol addiction: "I drank almost a liter a day"
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira recently opened up about his struggles with alcohol addiction. Ahead of his upcoming fight at UFC 303, Pereira made an appearance at the Nem Me Viu podcast, hosted by Ian Bortolanza and former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
Poatan' spoke about how he used to consume a liter of alcohol in one day when he was going through a tough time in his life. The Brazilian shared that earlier in life, he was hesitant to speak about his struggles with alcohol but later realized that he could help people by speaking on the issue.
Pereira said:
"At that time when I was really lost, I used to drink almost one liter [of alcohol] a day... I had no financial conditions, you know? Until recently, I was kind of afraid, ashamed [of speaking about his addiction]. But today, I see the need for it, got it?! Because... How many people are suffering from alcohol or drug problems? Not only directly but also the family."
He added:
"So today, people have the opportunity to know where they can be saved. In sports. It doesn't matter if it's kickboxing, MMA, soccer or whatever, you know? We used to be embarrassed, right? And then you're talking to someone and you're out of credibility... And I was bothered by this."
Check out the interaction between Alex Pereira and Fabricio Werdum below:
Alexander Volkanovski weighs in on Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka
UFC 303 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira. The event will be held on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On a recent episode of MainEvent on Fox Sports Australia, former UFC featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski weighed in on the fight. According to 'The Great', the encounter will end in a knockout inside two rounds of the fight.
Volkanovski said:
"Pereira, he literally puts his whole body, he'll be in range... both very risky ways of fighting, both very exciting, works well for both for them... It's gonna be a lot of fireworks. I think they're both gonna hurt each other and then someone gets the knockout - first or second round. It's destined to happen."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (2:30):