Boston Celtics inspired by Alex Pereira’s UFC 300 win in NBA Championship quest

The Boston Celtics are one win away from an NBA Championship and UFC light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira helped inspire their torrid postseason run.

Pereira last defended the UFC light heavyweight title when he knocked out Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event in April. He earned the then-vacant title by defeating Jiří Procházka at UFC 295.

Pereira’s rise to the UFC stardom is unprecedented. Just a handful of fights into his professional MMA career, he defeated two-time kickboxing foe Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title.

Pereira is admired by fans worldwide, including those whose primary focuses are on a different sport.

Boston Celtics coach showed Alex Pereira KO before NBA Finals game

Leading up to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla explained how Pereira’s knockout inspired the team as they went on the road.

“You see Pereira gets hit in the nuts, looks at the referee, and knocks [Jamahal Hill] out five seconds later,” Mazzulla said of Pereira. “So it’s the approach to what happens to you and how you handle it — the closer you are to beating someone, the closer you are to getting your ass kicked.”

Just hours after being inspired by Pereira’s knockout, the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-99 to move to 3-0 in the series. The Celtics have the chance to clinch the NBA Championship with a win on Friday night in Dallas.

Pereira is expected to return to the UFC Octagon later this year, potentially in a rematch with Procházka. He recently expressed profound interest in fighting at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.

If the Celtics secure the NBA title, it’ll be their 12th world championship victory. It’ll also be their first title win since 2008.

Pereira and the Celtics have some similarities in their recent domination. Coach Mazzulla’s comments show how his most memorable UFC moments have an impact across athletics.