Alex Pereira gives chilling explanation for why he shaves his head before fights

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira always shaves his head before his fights, and there’s a chilling explanation behind his pre-fight tradition.

Pereira will defend the UFC light heavyweight belt against Jiří Procházka in the UFC 303 main event this Saturday in Las Vegas. He returns to the Octagon to face Procházka seven months after winning the vacant title against him at UFC 295.

Pereira is arguably one of the most intimidating forces in UFC history. Just a handful of fights into his MMA career, he’s won two UFC titles and made himself a global star.

In between fight camps, Pereira usually grows out his hair when attending various UFC events and out in public. But during fight week, Pereira turns from a fun-loving man into a dangerous behemoth.

Pereira’s decision to shave his head before fights is a part of this character transition.

Alex Pereira: Long hair “Makes me look like a good guy”

During episode four of the UFC 303: Embedded series, Pereira explained why he shaves his head just hours before each UFC fight.

“With [long] hair, I look like a good guy, it doesn’t work,” Pereira said. “I need to be ready for war.”

Pereira’s path to becoming one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world was quick and unorthodox. Just eight fights into his MMA career, he won the UFC middleweight title by defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 281.

Pereira became a two-division UFC champion by finishing Procházka in November. Since then, he’s headlined UFC 300 in a TKO win over former titleholder Jamahal Hill.

Before making the full-time transition to MMA, Pereira was an unbeatable force in kickboxing. He defeated Adesanya twice in the ring and won multiple Glory Kickboxing titles.

As Pereira prepares for his latest UFC showdown, he’s in full fight mode, and his intimidating aura will be on full display Saturday night.