Alex Pereira’s tattoos are as easy to recognize as his left hook. Ink covers his chest, shoulders, arms, and stomach, especially visible when he stands shirtless in the Octagon. A dragon fills much of his chest, darker work runs over the shoulders, and smaller details connect the collection to Poatan, family, and faith.

Fight photos don’t always show the tattoos clearly. The best views let you make out the dragon, the flame-like shoulder design, the heavy arm work, and the stones on his hand from different angles. Here’s a closer look at the most recognizable Alex Pereira tattoos and what the photos show.

The dragon across his chest

The large dragon tattoo across the right side of Alex’s chest and shoulder is usually the first piece you notice. Its long body and sharp lines lead up to a head near the middle of his chest. It’s made to be seen when he walks to the cage or poses after a win.

The dragon gives the other tattoos a visual anchor. There’s a lot of ink around it, but your eye keeps returning to the chest piece. Its lines follow the curve of his shoulder and upper chest, so the design moves with him instead of sitting like a sticker on flat skin.

Shoulder colour and the red lightning shape

The dragon is part of a larger layout. Alex’s left shoulder and upper arm have darker work with patches of red, and a bright red-and-black shape curves from the shoulder toward the middle of his chest. That colour stands out against the black-and-grey pieces.

Lighting changes how the tattoos look. Under arena lights, the red sections catch the eye; in softer photos, the outlines and shading are easier to see. A sharp image helps show both. In a low-quality crop, the arm can turn into one dark patch with the detail lost.

The placements are easy to see during walkouts, face-offs, and post-fight interviews. The tattoos have become part of his public image without needing a separate fashion shoot.

The Poatan hand tattoo

Alex is known as Poatan, a nickname associated with his powerful striking. The stone-like design on his left hand is a small but distinctive part of the collection, and the article links it with that nickname and his fighting style. It’s much smaller than the dragon, but it gives the hand its own detail.

Hand tattoos can be hard to photograph. Gloves cover them in most fight images, and the skin moves whenever a fighter throws a punch. Outside competition, or in a portrait without gloves, the stone design is easier to pick out. One wide shot can’t show every part of the collection.

His forearms also have script and darker linework, so the hand piece doesn’t stand alone. It finishes a much larger layout across the arms and chest.

Religious symbols and personal meaning

Some coverage describes religious symbols and lessons as an important part of Alex’s tattoos. Photos show crosses, script, and repeated shapes on his arms and torso, though one image isn’t always enough to identify each design. It’s better to describe what’s visible than assign a meaning he hasn’t confirmed.

The collection has also been linked to family, faith, and his path from kickboxing to the UFC. Other pieces read more as visual choices, selected for how they sit on his body. The two kinds of tattoo can sit side by side without needing one explanation for the whole collection.

Scars, bruises, gloves, and fight tape often appear in the same photos as the ink. That puts the tattoos right alongside his working life.

How the full torso layout comes together

A wider fight photo shows how much ground the tattoos cover. The dragon sits high on his chest, colour fills parts of the shoulders, and larger designs continue down toward the stomach. Each piece has its own outline and feel, but together they cover most of the upper body.

The stomach work is easy to miss in portraits because gloves, shorts, and tight crops block the view. In a full-body or post-fight image, you can see the ink continues below the chest. The layout isn’t perfectly symmetrical, which keeps it from looking too polished.

If you like this style, separate pieces can grow into a larger collection over time. The placement has to leave each new design room to breathe.

Older photos still show the same core pieces

Alex has moved between divisions and opponents, but the main tattoos remain familiar in fight-week photos: the chest dragon, red shoulder work, and darker pieces on his arms. The lighting can make the ink look softer or heavier, but the arrangement is consistent.

Tattoo galleries sometimes mix real ink with fan art, unrelated fighters, or generic MMA images. The dragon on the right side of Alex’s chest, the red shoulder shape, and his shaved head and build help identify him in a photo. If those details are missing, the image may not belong in a piece about his tattoos.

Why Alex Pereira’s tattoo style stands out

Alex’s tattoos have a fighting feel without repeating one motif everywhere. The dragon gives the chest movement, red on the shoulder draws the eye, religious symbols add a personal thread, and the hand and forearm pieces break up the larger work. Most of the ink is visible, but it doesn’t all demand attention at once.

Placement matters as much as the design. A chest tattoo can draw the eye, shoulder work changes the line of the body, and a hand tattoo can work like a signature. If you’re considering a similar layout, think about how the pieces look with your arms lowered, raised, or in motion.

For another fighter whose tattoos connect family, career, and personal history, see Israel Adesanya and Dustin Poirier. Their styles differ, but their collections are easier to understand in clear photos of the actual tattoos.

Watch Alex Pereira talk about tattoos

Alex has also appeared in videos discussing his ink and the ideas behind it. This UFC Brasil feature goes with the photos above.