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UFC® today announced that former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been named the 2026 recipient of the Forrest Griffin Community Award. Named in honor of UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin, the award recognizes a UFC athlete for their exceptional volunteer and charity work and the meaningful impact their efforts have on the community.
The Forrest Griffin Community Award is presented annually as part of the UFC Honors President’s Choice category, as the award recipient is personally selected by UFC President & CEO Dana White. UFC Honors is the company's annual awards program recognizing UFC athletes, exceptional performances, and special moments throughout each year.
As the 2026 recipient of the Forrest Griffin Community Award, Pereira will receive a $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice. All donations are courtesy of the UFC Foundation.
Pereira will also partner with celebrity artist Ant Kai to design and auction a one-of-one pair of UFC-branded gloves as part of UFC’s Gloves for Good Program, with funds raised benefiting his foundation, The Instituto Poatan.
Pereira will be honored for this award during the 2026 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as part of the 14th Annual UFC International Fight Week. The event will take place on Thursday, July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“Alex is one of the biggest stars in the world and it’s great to see him use his platform to give back to the community by helping youth in Brazil,” said UFC President & CEO Dana White. “By offering free after-school tutoring, computer literacy programs, and jiu-jitsu training to more than 500 local youth, he is directly helping the students create better lives e for themselves. It’s an honor to present him with this award.”
Pereira founded The Instituto Poatan (Poatan Institute / Poatan Cares Foundation) in 2024, after purchasing and renovating a building in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The institute’s mission is to promote social and sports initiatives, using sports as a tool for transformation. The non-profits vision is to become a benchmark for encouraging, expanding, and spreading sports practices that drive social, educational, and community development.
With core values centering on transparency, excellence, integrity and commitment, the institute offers free afterschool tutoring, English courses, computer literacy, nutrition, and jiu-jitsu training to underprivileged youth. Since its inception, more than 500 local youth have registered for the institute’s programs, and the organization plans on continuing its expansion in 2026.
Outside of Brazil, Pereira continues to give back to local communities around the world, visiting children’s hospitals, teaching jiu-jitsu, and speaking with underprivileged youth in conjunction with other athletes and in partnership with UFC’s youth mentoring programs.
Pereira is a veteran of 16 fights in MMA and has compiled a record of 13-3 (10-2 UFC) since his professional MMA debut in 2015. Before transitioning to MMA, he competed in 40 professional kickboxing fights, registering a 33-7 record and capturing the GLORY middleweight and light heavyweight titles.
To learn more about The Alex Poatan Institute, please visit INSTITUTOPOATAN.
