Alex Pereira has expressed his gratitude after receiving the UFC’s 2026 Forrest Griffin Community Award.
The former two-division UFC champion took to social media to thank the promotion and everyone who has supported his journey after the announcement. Pereira said the recognition reflected values he had always believed in and thanked the UFC for the honour before dedicating the award to everyone who had been part of his journey:
“I am deeply honored and grateful to be receiving the 2026 Forrest Griffin Award. This is a very special moment for me. I know this award has been presented in the past to great names in the UFC who, just like me, dedicated part of their lives to helping people and families through charity and martial arts.”
He added:
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“It is a great honor to be part of this history and to receive recognition that represents the values I have always believed in. Thank you very much to the UFC for this honor. And thank you to everyone who, in one way or another, has been part of this journey. This award belongs to you as well.”
Check out Alex Pereira‘s statement below:
UFC CEO Dana White has also praised Pereira’s commitment to giving back through the Instituto Poatan, an organization founded by the Brazilian in 2024. The initiative provides free after-school tutoring, computer literacy programs and jiu-jitsu training to more than 500 young people in Brazil.
As part of the recognition, Pereira will also receive a $25,000 donation from the UFC Foundation to a charity of his choice. He joins a distinguished list of previous recipients that includes Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush.
Alex Pereira gifts sister Aline a house on his birthday
Alex Pereira reportedly surprised his younger sister, Aline, with a house in Connecticut on his own birthday.
According to reports, the gift came on July 7, just weeks before Aline is scheduled to defend her Karate Combat flyweight title against Juliana Velasquez at Karate Combat 62 in Miami. Aline later thanked her brother in a heartfelt Instagram Stories post, describing the house as a life-changing gift:
“There are gifts that change a life. Today, you gave me one of them. Thank you, little brother, for so much love and generosity. May God repay you twofold for everything you do for me. Happy birthday! I love you.”
The property is located near Teixeira MMA & Fitness, where both siblings have spent time training. Meanwhile, Pereira is looking ahead to his next UFC appearance after falling short in his bid to become the promotion’s first three-division champion. The Brazilian suffered a defeat to Ciryl Gane in an interim heavyweight title fight at the UFC White House event in June and has since indicated that he intends to remain in the heavyweight division for his next outing.
Edited by Abhishek Nambiar