Rivalries can be fierce in MMA, but sometimes they’re just child’s play. Quite literally, in this case. Alex Pereira, the UFC light heavyweight champion, recently found himself in an unexpected bout. The opponent was his son, armed with a video game controller. His son picked none other than Pereira’s rival Anthony Smith.
The hilarious moment was captured during a recent episode of UFC 303 Embedded. Pereira’s son decided to spice things up during some family gaming time. The son chose Anthony Smith for the UFC 5 gameplay. Smith, of course, is one of Pereira’s fiercest rivals. The duo have had several online altercations in recent times.
Pereira had even challenged Smith to a grappling match with a $50K reward for winning. He had also stated that Smith liked to talk badly about his grappling. But the video game matchup added a touch of humor to their rivalry. The clip showed Pereira eventually winning the digital fight via ground and pound.
Pereira is set to face Jiri Prochazka at the main event of UFC 303 after Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from the card due to a broken toe. The fate of the light heavyweight division rests on this matchup. To add spice to UFC 303, Smith competes against Roman Dolidze on the main card headlined by Pereira.
Fans reacted to Alex Pereira’s son picking Anthony Smith
A recent video of UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and his son has set social media ablaze. The clip showed Pereira’s son choosing Anthony Smith as his character in the UFC 5 game. He then proceeds to fight against his father’s in-game avatar.
Fight fans reacted to Alex Pereira’s son playing as Anthony Smith (via MMA Mania/ EuroSport)This playful moment has sparked a flurry of reactions from fight fans across the internet. The majority of the reactions were filled with hilarious memes and funny anecdotes. Many fight fans couldn’t help but chuckle at the young Pereira’s cheeky choice of fighter. A subset of fans felt that this was a shot at Smith. Check out some of the reactions:
Picked Anthony smith and said “round one KO”
— Lamb Sauce Will (@LambSauceWill) June 26, 2024
this fight gotta happen give smith wins
— thomas forsberg (@baked41820575) June 25, 2024
That’s got to be a weird feeling playing yourself in a video game
— Jawn (@JawnRigs) June 25, 2024
On paper Anthony smith is the greatest of all time
— Los (@BIG_PLUG_) June 25, 2024
LMAO his son is cooking
— GucciSerg (@sergiodaGOAT) June 25, 2024
imagine talkin shi on ufc 5 and all u hear on the other side is “huh”
— AP (@pebbs20198) June 26, 2024
Overall, this light-hearted moment has been a welcome distraction for fight fans. It’s a reminder that even in the world of professional fighting, family comes first. As UFC 303 approaches, this video serves as a perfect palate cleanser. It adds a touch of humor to the often intense world of MMA.
