We’ve seen plenty of fighters over the years throw some pretty questionable first throws, but not our man “Poatan.”
Alex Pereira was on hand at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx yesterday (Tuesday, May 5, 2026) to watch the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 7-4 in the first of a three-game series. He was greeted as a true two-division UFC champion should be: He was given a Yankees jersey with the No. 1 on the back and allowed to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
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And how did Pereira do? He put the ball directly down the middle and over the plate. It wasn’t a heater, but it got exactly where it was supposed to go. Take a look.
Compare that to Conor McGregor’s infamous first pitch during a Cubs game, which was, ahem, slightly to the right.
Pereira was introduced as the ‘former’ two-division UFC champion, which is technically true: he gave up his light heavyweight belt to move up to another division, where he will face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship. A victory over Gane at the UFC event at the White House on June 14 will make “Poatan” the first fighter to hold titles in three weight classes.
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Add that to the list of impressive accomplishments along with his impressive first release.