In the UFC octagon, Indigenous fighters like Alex Pereira, Payton Talbot, Max Holloway, Tai Tuivasa, Tyson Pedro and others are giving Indigenous youth around the world a reason to dream big and build healthier futures.
Take Alex Pereira, a proud member of Brazil’s Pataxó Indigenous Nation who is a former UFC Middleweight champion and the current UFC Light Heavyweight champion. Known in his Indigenous language as “Poatan,” or “hands of stone,” Pereira proudly wears his traditional attire during his walkouts and faceoffs leading up to each fight in the UFC octagon. Today, Indigenous youth are still sometimes punished for wearing their traditional clothing. Pereira standing tall as a proud Indigenous person shows Indigenous youth that they don’t have to split themselves or walk in two worlds to find success under the bright lights.
Alex Pereira (left), UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
The potential psychological impact of Indigenous representation in sports, particularly in the global spectacle of the UFC, should not be taken for granted. Invisibility has been shown to have a harmful effect on the mental health of Indigenous youth. For children and teens growing up in remote villages in the Amazon or on reservations in the United States, seeing fighters like Pereira or relative UFC-newcomer Payton Talbott, an exciting Choctaw fighter from the U.S., sends a message that with enough dedication, they can do whatever they set their minds to, including becoming an elite athlete.
Payton Talbott, UFC Bantamwight fighter
In Pacific-Islander Indigenous communities that are often plagued by historical trauma, depression, youth suicide and erasure, positive role models like Max Holloway, a Native Hawaiian current BMF title-holder and former featherweight champion, can provide a much-needed counterbalance to feelings of hopelessness and deficit-based narratives. When Indigenous youth see fighters like Tai Tuivasa, an Aboriginal and Samoan-Australian heavyweight known for his “If I dink ‘em, I sink ‘em” approach to fighting, or Tyson Pedro, who proudly wears his Samoan body-markings, they see themselves reflected in their success.
Max “Blessed” Halloway (Left), UFC BMF Title-Holder
The UFC offers a unique platform for Indigenous athletes to reclaim and celebrate their cultures. The next decade will likely see even more Indigenous fighters rise through the ranks, fueled by the examples of today’s champions.
Tai Tuivasa, 11th-ranked UFC Heavyweight fighter
From Indigenous Pacific-Islander fighters like Holloway and Tuivasa to Indigenous fighters from the Americas like Payton Talbott and Alex Pereira, Indigenous role models in combat sports can foster a sense of pride and belonging for Indigenous youth with big dreams. Their visibility challenges centuries of erasure and replaces stereotypes with healthy examples of representation. They remind Indigenous children that they are part of a lineage of warriors and leaders, capable of being a champion in the octagon and in their own lives.
