WATCH | UFC champ Alex Pereira slugs it out with heavyweight boxer

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira got all he could handle in a recent sparring session with heavyweight boxer Igor Adiel Macedo.

You can watch the pair go toe-to-toe below. As you can see, they were not holding back much at all.

Alex Pereira sparring HW Boxer Igor Adiel Macedo 🔥

Alex caught him with that left hook at the end 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/yrANrLn5ol

— Ben Davis (@BenTheBaneDavis) January 13, 2025

While Alex Pereira is clearly training hard, he doesn’t currently have a fight booked. However, he is widely expected to defend his title against streaking Russian contender Magomed Ankalaev sometime soon.

Whenever it happens, it will mark be his fourth defense of the light heavyweight title after knockouts of Khalil Rountree Jr., Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahal Hill. He claimed the division’s vacant title with a knockout of Prochazka in late 2023.

Prior to winning the light heavyweight belt, Pereira briefly reigned as the UFC middleweight champion, but lost the belt to his long-time rival Israel Adesanya in his first defense. He also previously held titles in two divisions in the Glory kickboxing ring. That elite striking experience is probably why he faired so well in his recent sparring session with Macedo — though he definitely ate some hard shots too.

Macedo currently sports a pro boxing record of 13-1. All 13 of his victories have come by way of knockout, as did his lone loss, which occurred in a 2021 bout with former European championship gold medalist Sergey Kuzmin.

Sparring with Macedo will definitely help Pereira improve his already impressive striking skill, but it’s likely he’ll spend most of his training camp for Ankalaev working on his takedown defense. While the Russian has plenty of knockout power in his own right, he also has excellent wrestling, which is an area where Pereira is vulnerable. The champ can expect to be fighting off takedowns from the early going.