Tribal champion: Pataxó chieftain lauds Alex Pereira’s indigenous roots, UFC glory

The Pataxó individuals are proud to be represented by Alex Pereira within the UFC.

Pereira, who flew to Bahia, Brazil, to take the UFC middleweight belt to the Pataxó individuals after knocking out Israel Adesanya, is now the 205-pound titleholder. He headlines one in every of MMA’s most historic occasions, battling Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Ubiranan, chief of the Pataxó individuals of the Siratã Mantxó reservation, personalized the panache Pereira wears throughout ceremonial weigh-ins and previous to his fights. In an interview with MMA Combating, he mentioned the MMA star is bringing hope to the indigenous individuals.

“We achieve visibility and respect along with his fights,” Ubiranan mentioned. “He has indigenous roots and has chosen to characterize the Pataxó individuals, as a result of we have been the primary to face the Portuguese [in 1500]. We’ve had so many battles, and now we battle to protect what’s left of our ethnicity.”

Ubiranan met ‘Poatan’ in 2014, when Pereira’s first coach Belocqua Wera took him to Bahia. Ubiranan launched the kickboxer to the tribe and mentioned Pereira revealed his aim to assist the indigenous neighborhood by means of his fights.

Ubiranan is the son of the primary chieftain of the Pataxó of Siratã Mantxó, “an amazing 90-year-old warrior” who continues to information the individuals alongside his successors. Combating is an intrinsic worth within the Pataxó tradition, and Ubiranan desires so as to add different types of martial arts to their day by day life.

“We educate capoeira to the youngsters, and we even have Patxiumilkay,” mentioned Ubiranan, referring to a conventional Pataxó battle the place the aim is to take your opponent down by catching his leg and dominating from high place. “‘Poatan’ and I fought, and he did effectively. After that, he confronted and beat everybody from the village.”

April is the Indigenous Resistance Month in Brazil, and it’s nearly becoming Pereira will get to hold the indigenous panache with him to the largest stage of MMA.

“After we met I instructed him he would turn out to be world champion, and the entire nation would know him,” Ubiranan mentioned. “He has the assist of each indigenous. We’re greater than 300 indigenous teams and nearly one million indigenous women and men. Each tribe is aware of him.

“He’s in the USA now, however we’re at all times in contact, sending him good power and praying he continues to shine. He’s at all times going to be an amazing champion. Middleweight, gentle heavyweight, and I consider he can turn out to be heavyweight champion, too.”

The Pataxó chieftain mentioned the entire tribe is praying for Pereira’s success at UFC 300, and they’re assured he’ll come out victorious.

“We knew he was going to lose [the Adesanya rematch] as a result of we noticed in our non secular imaginative and prescient,” Ubiranan mentioned. “Generally we see issues many individuals don’t give any worth. I wrote him a message, however my cousin instructed me to not say something as a result of he was centered. However I instructed him afterward that we had seen that one thing very sturdy would occur.”

Ubiranan mentioned he notices Pereira is “very devoted now,” and although he’s nonetheless praying for the previous asking for non secular steerage forward of the Jamahal Hill battle, he believes “Poatan” — a phrase which means “Arms of Stone” within the Paraxó language — will come out victorious on April 13.

“Generally his palms are too low, however his fists are one in every of a form – he actually is a warrior,” Ubiranan mentioned. “We consider he’ll win, completely. The opponent could be very sturdy. [Pereira] has to go for it. Profitable is the aim, and ‘Poatan’ is aware of the technique. When he lands the primary strike, Jamahal received’t be capable of take it. The primary assault should come from him. [Hill] will really feel it, after which he’ll crumble.”