Throughout the week, Pereira remained calm and composed through all his fight-week duties and media obligations. Part of that comfort came from his previous victories over Adesanya in the kickboxing world, and part of it came from Pereira’s general ability to keep an even-keel demeanor while still drinking in the scenes around him.
“We were doing everything right,” he said. “I already knew my opponent and had a specific game plan. I was doing great in the sessions as well. During fight week, the staredowns, we could see (Adesanya) wasn’t very confident, unlike me. It felt as if the show had been done for me, you know? I was dressed nicely, and (UFC) allowed me to have my face painted (during weigh-ins) representing the indigenous people from Brazil. The show was basically for me. I just needed the cherry on top, which was the fight and that win.”
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Each element of Pereira’s victory seemed written for a movie. From Adesanya’s UFC success in the years before Pereira transitioned to mixed martial arts to his own accelerated track to the title shot, it all built to a legendary kind of night.
Add the knockout into the mix – particularly following Jiri Prochazka and Leon Edwards pulling off 5th-round turnarounds themselves – and you have a potent formula for a star-marking moment. However, Pereira’s stone-faced manner refuses to crack. He is aware of the dangers of fame and money changing a person for the worse, and he remains steadfast in staying true to himself.
“I don’t think anything has changed for me as a person,” Pereira said. “Before I was the champion, I had this feeling and then after I became the champion, I woke up the next day and realized nothing had changed. I’m more famous now. Everybody can see that. That has been changing. I’m growing every day financially speaking as well. I think it’s a lot of things that have changed, but my priority is to be myself. I think I haven’t changed. I know I’m biased, but the people around me that know me can tell you.”