Alex Pereira started training kickboxing in his late teens while growing up in New Zealand, long before he became a UFC champion. His journey into combat sports began with kickboxing, where he developed the striking precision that would later define his fighting career across multiple organizations. Understanding Pereira’s path is valuable for anyone interested in combat sports training—whether you’re curious about how elite athletes build their skills or considering where to start your own journey in striking arts.
At Trein Club in Houston, we recognize that combat sports excellence comes from diverse training backgrounds. Like Pereira, many of our members combine different disciplines to develop well-rounded skills. Our kickboxing and Muay Thai programs are designed for athletes at every level, from complete beginners to those with previous experience. Whether you’re drawn to striking because you admire fighters like Pereira or simply want to add dynamic movement to your fitness routine, our expert coaches create a structured environment where you can progress safely and effectively.
The beauty of training at a facility that offers multiple disciplines—Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and strength conditioning—is that you can build the same kind of comprehensive skill set that defines modern combat athletes, all in one place.
When Did Alex Pereira Start Training Kickboxing?
Alex Pereira’s path from a struggling young man in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, to one of the most feared strikers in combat sports history stands out as one of the most remarkable late-bloomer stories in modern fighting. While most elite kickboxers and MMA athletes begin their training as children or teenagers, Pereira followed a completely different route — one that defies conventional wisdom about when fighters need to start in order to reach the top.
The Exact Year Alex Pereira Began Kickboxing (Age 21, Around 2009)
Alex Pereira started training kickboxing in 2009, at the age of 21. He walked into his first gym in São Bernardo do Campo with no formal martial arts background and no childhood dream of becoming a world champion. According to several interviews he has given over the years, he initially picked up the sport as a way to escape personal struggles, including a battle with alcohol that began in his teenage years. The discipline of training quickly became therapeutic — and within a few short years, what started as a personal outlet evolved into a professional career that would rewrite kickboxing history.
Alex Pereira’s Background Before Kickboxing: His Early Life and Boxing Roots
Before stepping onto the mats, Pereira worked grueling shifts at a tire repair shop to help support his family. He didn’t come from an athletic pedigree, and unlike many Brazilian fighters, he didn’t grow up practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, capoeira, or Muay Thai as a child. He did, however, have brief exposure to boxing fundamentals, which would later prove pivotal. His natural size, raw power, and quiet intensity were apparent from his very first sparring sessions. Coaches noticed something unusual: a 21-year-old beginner who hit harder, learned faster, and absorbed punishment better than most veterans in the room. That combination of late arrival and elite physical gifts is part of what makes his story so compelling.
Why Alex Pereira Started Kickboxing Later Than Most Fighters
The vast majority of world-class strikers begin training between the ages of 5 and 12. Picking up the gloves at 21 is considered borderline impossible for reaching elite status — yet Pereira not only got there, he dominated it. Understanding why he started late, and how he overcame that disadvantage, offers powerful lessons for any adult considering combat sports training today.
How His Late Start Compares to Other Elite Kickboxers and MMA Fighters
For context, here are typical starting ages for combat sports legends:
- Buakaw Banchamek — began Muay Thai at age 8
- Giorgio Petrosyan — started kickboxing as a child in Armenia
- Israel Adesanya — began kickboxing around age 18
- Anderson Silva — started Taekwondo at 12, Muay Thai shortly after
- Alex Pereira — began at 21 years old
Pereira’s late entry is genuinely rare among world champions. It echoes a broader truth we see at our gym every day: adults can absolutely build elite-level skills, even without a childhood athletic background. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to start, his story is proof that it isn’t. The same principle holds across disciplines — starting BJJ with no prior martial arts experience is not only possible, it’s the norm for most adult students.
The Role of His Boxing Foundation in Accelerating His Kickboxing Development
While Pereira didn’t have a deep boxing résumé, his early exposure to hand combinations, head movement, and distance management gave him a structural advantage when he moved into kickboxing. Boxing taught him how to throw punches with full body mechanics — a skill that translates directly into devastating knockout power. Combined with his natural height, reach, and an unusually calm ring IQ, Pereira built his kickboxing game on top of a hand-fighting foundation rather than starting from zero. This cross-training principle is something we emphasize at Trein Club: foundational skills from one discipline accelerate learning in another, whether you’re pairing boxing with Muay Thai or supplementing your striking with BJJ.
Alex Pereira’s Kickboxing Career Timeline and Major Milestones
From his amateur debut to becoming a two-division GLORY champion, Pereira’s rise was meteoric. The compressed timeline of his success is what truly sets his career apart.
His Rise Through GLORY Kickboxing: Titles, Records, and Notable Wins
Key milestones in Pereira’s kickboxing career include:
- 2009 — Begins training kickboxing in Brazil at age 21
- 2014 — Makes professional kickboxing debut
- 2017 — Wins the GLORY Middleweight World Championship
- 2018 — Wins the GLORY Light Heavyweight World Championship, becoming a two-weight world champion
- Career record — 33 wins, 7 losses, with 21 wins by knockout
- Notable wins — Knockout victories over Israel Adesanya (twice), Simon Marcus, and Yousri Belgaroui
His back-to-back knockouts of Israel Adesanya in kickboxing — particularly the brutal 2017 finish — became one of the defining narratives that followed both men into their MMA careers.
How Many Years It Took Pereira to Become a World Kickboxing Champion
From his first day of training in 2009 to claiming the GLORY Middleweight title in 2017, Pereira needed roughly eight years to reach world champion status. By 2018, just nine years into the sport, he was a two-division world champion — an extraordinary pace for any athlete, let alone one who started in his twenties. This timeline illustrates a truth we share with new students all the time: consistent, intelligent training over years produces extraordinary results, regardless of when you start. The same logic applies to training BJJ as an adult — what matters most is showing up and putting in the work.
Alex Pereira vs. Max Holloway: A Fun Comparison of Kickboxing Start Dates
Max Holloway, the former UFC Featherweight Champion, also has roots in kickboxing — and the contrast with Pereira is fascinating. Holloway began training martial arts as a teenager in Hawaii, dabbling in kickboxing, BJJ, and MMA simultaneously around age 16–17. By the time he was 20, Holloway was already fighting in the UFC. Pereira, by contrast, hadn’t even thrown his first competitive kickboxing combination at that age. Yet by his mid-30s, the Brazilian had accomplished what almost no other fighter in history has: world championships in two different combat sports (GLORY kickboxing and UFC) across two weight classes each.
What Makes Alex Pereira’s Late-Start Story Unique in Combat Sports History
Pereira’s story is unique because of three converging factors: he started extraordinarily late, he reached the top extraordinarily fast, and he then crossed over to dominate a second sport (MMA) where most kickboxers struggle. His arc dismantles the myth that elite combat athletes must begin in childhood. For adults walking into a gym for the first time at 25, 35, or 45, his career is a powerful reminder that the right environment, the right coaching, and a relentless mindset matter more than when you started. At Trein Club, we see this play out constantly — whether students come for striking, grappling, or both, age is rarely the limiting factor people assume it is. If you’re curious about the financial side of starting, you can review how much Muay Thai lessons cost and how much private Muay Thai lessons run to plan your training journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Alex Pereira start training kickboxing?
Alex Pereira started training kickboxing in 2009, when he was 21 years old, at a gym in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. He had no formal martial arts background before that point.
How old was Alex Pereira when he started kickboxing?
Pereira was 21 years old when he began training kickboxing. This is considered an exceptionally late start for an athlete who would go on to become a multi-division world champion.
Did Alex Pereira start as a boxer before kickboxing?
Pereira had some early exposure to boxing fundamentals, which gave him a foundation in punching mechanics, head movement, and footwork. However, he was never a professional boxer — kickboxing was his first serious competitive combat sport.
How long did it take Alex Pereira to become a kickboxing world champion?
It took Pereira approximately eight years from his first day of training in 2009 to winning the GLORY Middleweight World Championship in 2017. By 2018, he had added the Light Heavyweight title, becoming a two-division world champion in roughly nine years.
Is it true Alex Pereira started kickboxing later than Max Holloway?
Yes. Max Holloway began training combat sports as a teenager in Hawaii, around age 16–17, while Pereira didn’t pick up kickboxing until age 21. Despite the later start, the Brazilian ultimately won world titles in both kickboxing and MMA.
What is Alex Pereira’s kickboxing record?
Pereira closed out his professional kickboxing career with a record of 33 wins and 7 losses, including 21 victories by knockout. He is best known for his back-to-back knockout wins over Israel Adesanya and his reigns as GLORY Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion.
Why did Alex Pereira switch from boxing to kickboxing?
Pereira didn’t switch from a boxing career — he had only minimal boxing exposure before walking into a kickboxing gym in 2009. He gravitated toward kickboxing because of the gym he found near his home and because the discipline gave him a constructive outlet during a difficult period in his personal life. The sport quickly became both his profession and his purpose.
