Every UFC fan knows what Alex Pereira is capable of.
The one-time UFC middleweight champion and two-time light heavyweight champion is among the hardest hitters in the sport, with a staggering list of knockouts on his MMA resume.
One would assume Pereira dials back his fearsome knockout punching power in the gym, so as not to hurt his sparring partners. However, it seems that is not always the case.
On Saturday, a clip of Pereira brutally KOing a sparring partner began to surface on social media. In the clip, the UFC star can be seen landing a few hard shots on his sparring partner before shutting the lights out with a cracking punch to the chin.
See the footage below (via Championship Rounds on X):
Alex Pereira knocked out his sparring partner with a BRUTAL left hand 😳
(via IG / standupstriking) pic.twitter.com/uRSHtNqWH2
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 29, 2025
Unsurprisingly, many fight fans were unimpressed to see Pereira dish out so much punishment in the gym.
UFC fans lash out at Alex Pereira for gym KO
“Knocking out your sparring partner is trashy,” one fight fan wrote in response to the clip. “Recording and posting it is scumbag behavior.”
“And people b*tch about Strickland hurting sparring partners,” another fan wrote.
“Scummy move,” a third user wrote.
While the outrage about this Pereira clip is understandable, the counterargument is that anybody with any sense at all should know what they’re getting into stepping onto the mats with the UFC champ.
In his last fight, Pereira scored one of the most dramatic knockouts of his career, stopping Magomed Ankalaev in round one to reclaim the light heavyweight belt. He had lost the title to the Russian in his previous fight. After seeing that, anyone has to know that sparring with the UFC star is a risky idea. Of course, there is also the possibility that this clip was staged. In the age of social media, you just never know.
Where do you stand on this clip of Alex Pereira knocking out his sparring partner?