UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is usually only heard speaking Portuguese. However, he has still managed to catch on with fans all over the world with his incredible Octagon performances and enigmatic personality outside the cage. Some things just transcend language.
While Pereira is not known for speaking English, it turns out he’s made quite a bit of progress with the language — enough that former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman was seemingly caught off guard by it.
Pereira and Usman crossed paths in Las Vegas, ahead of the light heavyweight champion’s UFC 313 title defense against Magomed Ankalaev. After establishing that they were on good terms based on their mutual connection to Israel Adesanya and their shared career choice, Usman asked Pereira if he was practicing English.
Usman’s question was translated into Portuguese by Pereira’s coach, but the champ then answered in English.
See the exchange below:
“Don’t let the people know you speak English like that” 🤣
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“If you speak slow, I understand,” Pereira said. “If you speak fast, for me, it’s difficult.”
“Don’t ever let them know you speak English like this,” Usman responded with a chuckle.