Poatan: A Case Study in Personal Branding

Alex “Poatan” Pereira.

A man nobody can seem to hate. A man with hands made of stone. And a man whose reputation truly precedes him.

The 37-year-old pro kickboxer, a three-time title winner in Glory and now a UFC champion in two divisions, recently won the title card at UFC 307, defeating Muay Thai specialist Khalil Roundtree in four rounds with a vicious body shot combo.

To those more civilised among us who have no idea what any of those words mean, it means that as a pro-fighter, he’s good. Not just good; terrifyingly good. He is so good that he may be considered one of the greatest fighters of all time by the time he retires. Which is crazy considering he entered the UFC very late in his career.

Even if the world of professional mixed martial arts does not fit within the Venn diagram of your interests, stay a little longer, because within the bowels of this violent sport lies a deep truth about personal branding and engineering perception through authenticity.

The Origin Story

Alex Pereira was born in the mean streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Having dropped out of school at 12 to support his family he began working at a tyre repair shop. The hard labour calloused his mind and body over the years, but he also developed the habit of drinking a litre of Cachaça, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented cane juice, every day by the time he was 16.

Soon, it became clear to him that if he continued on this path, he may very well destroy his life as had been the case with most people growing up in the rough neighbourhood. As a Brazilian, he knew there was one way out to channel the untamed energy of rough childhood - sports.

He picked up kickboxing as his outlet and began training hard. However, the growing pains of learning the art were becoming overwhelming, primarily because of his unchecked alcoholism. His coach and mentor at the time realised this and incorporated shamanic practices and rituals to cleanse him of the addiction.

It was at this time that he discovered his tribal ancestry. He belonged to the Pataxó Amazonian tribe, known to be fierce warriors. Being encouraged to embrace his tribal roots by his coach, he was nicknamed “Poatan” which meant - hands of stone - in the indigenous Tupi language.

Through sheer willpower and with the help of his coach, he beat the addiction and started winning his fights. Invigorated by the change he soon became state and national champion. He was eventually crowned the Glory champion -  the international promotional kickboxing event.

However, despite all the wins, money was hard to come by. Having become the father of two at this point in his life, times were hard. It was around this time that he saw an interview of his arch-rival, Israel Adesanya, who was now a UFC star, where he stated that Pereira would end up drunk in some bar somewhere in Brazil while he, Adesanya, would go on to great heights.

This sparked a fire in him and he decided to sign a contract with the UFC to enter the middle-weight division.

And the rest is history.
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The Burden of Magnetism

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.”
-Jeff Bezos

Why is any of this important you may ask, especially as a case study for personal branding?

For the simple reason that it is imperative for fighters to brand themselves to get better pay and better fights. A funny quirk of human nature is that we choose sides and favourite teams, athletes, artists etc., based on hundreds of variables of personal preferences. Lots of which we are unconscious of.

Perhaps it is the archetype that they embody that we as viewers resonate with. Some choose to be loved, while others choose to be hated. There is no in-between because in-between is boring. But really what makes it boring is that it lacks a sense of authenticity and vulnerability.

This is why it does not matter how good a fighter you are, you must grab eyeballs for you to make it to the UFC. You must create narratives through who you are so that people can either root for you or hate you.

Human nature craves the glory of watching their favourite athlete reign supreme or their most hated fighter go down in a pile of blood, bruises and broken bones.

Vicarious living is more common than we assume.

In this sense, Alex Pereira is loved by the masses and they listen to his every word, even though he does not know a word of English.

So, what makes him so electric, beyond his fighting prowess?
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“Chama”: The Alex Pereira brand

Whether carefully engineered or a natural extension of his personality, Pereira has cultivated an aura of a man who cannot be broken. He has an air of sheer resilience, stoic strength and confident humility.

How does he express or rather manifest these traits into existence?

• The catchphrase: ‘Chama’ - This now famous catchphrase which is a Portuguese slang, meaning “let’s go”, embodies the soul of his spirit in its brevity. Not only does it imply a feeling of momentum, it is exceptionally catchy. In fact, it’s often the first word his fans say out loud when they meet him.
• The nickname: ‘Poatan’ - Never has a nickname been so apt. The man is known for his monstrous power in his kicks and punches. He generates torque almost imperceptibly and knocks out opponents before they know what’s happening. The internet is filled with snippets of these moments and the nickname ‘Poatan’ has inevitably entered the culture as an apt epithet for the man.
• The Walkout - Before every fight, the fighters walk out into the arena in front of excited onlookers. Their entry builds the energy up to the moment when the fight starts. Pereira perhaps has one of the best walkouts. He enters with his hand closed in a fist, up in front of his face like a boxer’s guard with the stance and gait of a tribal warrior slowly stalking his prey. This is complemented by the walkout track - Itsári by Sepultura. It sounds like a ritualistic shamanic chant with tribal instruments that builds up to the crescendo when Pereira gestures with his hand as though pointing an invisible bow and arrow at the ring, his battleground, before letting out a primal scream that echoes across the area. Never does this moment fail to induce goosebumps in onlookers.
• The Weigh-Ins - The weigh-ins are an integral part of any fight. This is the moment when the fighters weigh themselves in front of the press to make sure that they have made weight for the division that they are fighting in. Every time Pereira shows up, he appears with his face painted red in the style of a Pataxó warrior. It not only echoes his tribal roots but at the same time produces an otherworldly effect that perhaps this is not a man, but a force of nature.
• The Stoic - Pereira’s face looks like he’s carved out of the Moai statues on Easter Island. Rarely showing emotions, he has the demeanour of the rock statues. It doesn’t mean that he is without emotions. There are many instances of him playing with his sons, laughing at jokes and singing with his friends on his social media pages. But, Poatan, the fighter is cold and cannot be hurt. It is not a statement of fact but the effect of his persona. At the same time, despite his incredible prowess, he is magnanimous in his victories, which makes him ever so respectable.

Authenticity - The heart of personal branding

Having read this primer on the elements of his personal brand, it is obvious why he is revered. So, why don’t other fighters adopt this style? Or in the ones who have, why haven’t they found success?

It’s simple. Authenticity.

Pereira is not faking being this stoic, powerful warrior who gets the job done. That is exactly who he is as a person. It is sincere and it shows.

This is where we come to the core of what personal branding is.

Branding really is how others perceive your brand. And personal branding is how others perceive you as an individual, no matter who you are, whether a CEO or an employee.

Now when it comes to the question of how others perceive you, it is a point of discontent that you have to behave or portray yourself in a way that pleases others. And it might be considered on a surface level understanding that branding is faking yourself to be a politically correct version of yourself.

But that is far from the truth. If you follow that idea, you end up showcasing a bland personality that does not stand out in a sea of other bland personalities.

This is where Periera’s personal branding becomes an excellent guide for your personal branding. Everything that he portrays comes from within. He is not a mishmash of multiple ideas and personality traits, put together to create the idea of Poatan. Instead, it is an extension of who he is as a person, warts and all.

Know that there will always be someone smarter than you, someone prettier, taller, faster, more talented than you. But there can never be a better you than you.

Everything that makes you unique, the good and the bad, is part of your personal branding. You must embrace your quirks, the things that make you weird, your flaws and insecurities. Don’t shy away from them. They are the source of your power, and when you are your most authentic self, people can feel it in your energy.

They get a feeling that they have not met someone like you before because the truth is that there is no one else like you. But you only become that when you stop choosing who you are based on the opinions of others. It is not a choice, it is the extremely rare genetic combination of one that is you, that never has been before and never will be replicated.

It also comes down to how you view yourself. A low self-opinion will translate in your interactions with others and without knowing you are creating a personal brand of a person with low self-esteem and people mirror that back to you.

It is an inside-out process that emanates from within rather than one that is created out of thin air. It is a process where you are the architect and the edifice.

Conclusion

Poatan fits the arc of the rags-to-riches story like a glove. His personal struggles and sheer determination have revealed himself to himself. That is why his personal branding is so powerful and true, because he understands the brand better than anyone else.

You may not be Alex Pereira. But if you observe how he carries himself, it will guide you in your own personal branding journey. It is not an artificial creation. Rather, it is really the most natural thing you could do - or rather be.

Your personal brand is being etched into people’s minds at this very moment and it never stops so long as you are alive, and often even beyond that. So, write the story yourself instead of having it written for you.

“Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you.”
-Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones