Why is Alex Pereira's left hook so powerful? Exploring the Brazilian's incredible striking prowess

Alex Pereira is one of the most devastating strikers in the UFC, with a decorated kickboxing career that distinguishes him from the common rabble of MMA brawlers. 'Poatan' is akin to a force of nature in the cage, such that none can withstand the full impact of his blows.

However, his claim to fame is his left hook, which may very well be the greatest left hook in both MMA and kickboxing history. It's unique, a weapon of mass destruction that reduces his opponent's chin to rubble, and there are several reasons for this.

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The mechanics of Alex Pereira's left hook

As the first simultaneous two-division Glory Kickboxing champion, Alex Pereira is an educated striker who pours all of his knowledge into his left hook. First, 'Poatan' understands that for any fighter to land a left hook, one must stand close enough to be countered by their opponent's left hook.

It is a gamble, but he mitigates the risk by tweaking his stance. Pereira keeps his shoulders square and chest open. This straightens his left hook to such a degree that whenever the UFC light heavyweight titleholder steps into range, it travels through a shorter arc compared to the wider trajectory of a standard left hook.

Check out Alex Pereira's left hook in action:

Thus, 'Poatan's' left hook often catches his opponent when they least expect it. He magnifies this by leaning into his foe at the onset of his movement before leaning away at the final instance. There is, however, no understating the genetic components behind Pereira's power.

He likely has denser bones than his foes and certainly has larger hands. After all, Robert Whittaker once wondered how a giant of Pereira's size had previously made the cut to 185 pounds. But there is more to Pereira's left hook. Specifically, his setups were most apparent against Sean Strickland.

Strickland has a habit of parrying the strikes that come his way, which Pereira took advantage of at UFC 276 by dipping low to dig body jabs into his midsection. Before long, Strickland began lowering his hands to parry the body jab, leaving his face unprotected.

So, after burning the reaction into Strickland's mind, Pereira faked a body jab, and when 'Tarzan' dropped his hands to parry what he thought would be another body jab, 'Poatan' instead uncorked a left hook over the top, knocking him down to later land follow-up blows for the TKO win seconds later.

Check out Alex Pereira TKO'ing Sean Strickland:

This, however, isn't something he only did against Strickland. Pereira relies on subtle level changes, dipping low, then slightly upward to create a measure of momentum behind his left hook.