PFL Africa's Rivaldo Pereira targets KO of unbeaten David Samuel
· Yahoo Sports
Rivaldo
Pereira embraces the pressure of representing Guinea-Bissau in
professional MMA.
The 29-year-old fighter, who lives and trains in Luxembourg, recounted his difficult beginnings and the decisions that brought him to the Professional Fighters League.
“I’ve been fighting as long as I can remember,” he said in Portuguese.
“My childhood friends and I would always fight if we had disagreements. And we also enjoyed watching action movies – Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rambo, Jet Li... It was all very motivating. Our street play was fighting [in Guinea-Bissau]. But since I moved to Luxembourg, a quiet place where someone may dare you to fight so they can sue you in court, I had to find ways to channel my energy. I decided to train martial arts, starting with jiu-jitsu. I then saw that MMA was the most complete martial art and that a high percentage of MMA fighters came from jiu-jitsu.”
His decision to pursue martial arts paid off with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu title. But he knew it was only the beginning.
“I started my adventure in the world of MMA by going into jiu-jitsu at first. I was the European IBJJF champion in 2020. From jiu-jitsu competitions, I transitioned to amateur MMA. The initial goal was to have just five amateur bouts. After that, we saw the things I still needed to work on. We kept working on it until I was ready to go pro. As a pro now, things are going well but I’m just getting started.”
Three years on the European amateur circuit helped Pereira identify what he needed to improve before turning professional. His persistence paid off, and people who initially questioned his choice began to support him.
“Only God helped me when I was getting started. Thankfully, after a couple of years of training, I developed a good connection with my master. My jiu-jitsu friends wondered why I would want to get punched in the face. But I let them know that I was looking for something more complete. Initially, I got support from my master and a few friends. Nowadays, some of my family members also came to support my choice to be a fighter, as they’ve seen the results.”
‘Don Pepas’ will face Nigeria’s David Samuel at PFL Africa 3: 2026 Playoffs in Casablanca, Morocco, on Oct. 10.
Pereira says he is not intimidated by his opponent.
“I saw his most recent bouts. I give myself a high chance of beating him. I primarily want to knock him out, but anything is possible. The goal is to get a finish, so it doesn’t go to the judges. It will be a good fight for me. He’s undefeated so far, so beating him will be great for me. My strategy is to bang it out. I’ll go for a KO and if I can’t, I’ll go for a submission. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll do all I can to win by decision.”
Pereira prepared for his next challenge at the CTFR Luxembourg academy under coach Fabricio Ribeiro.
“We have everything here – wrestling, muay thai, MMA, jiu-jitsu – everything. We have fighters focused on each of those martial arts, as well as MMA. My training camps are focused on me, 100%.”
Pereira, who defeated Kunle Lawal by TKO at PFL Africa 1 in April, hopes to build on that momentum and see how far he can go.
“My plans are to win my next bout and see if the PFL will offer me a good contract to stay with them, or if I should have a few more fights and try to get into the UFC instead. For now, I’ll keep on fighting and looking for more sponsorships.”
The 29-year-old fighter, who lives and trains in Luxembourg, recounted his difficult beginnings and the decisions that brought him to the Professional Fighters League.
“I’ve been fighting as long as I can remember,” he said in Portuguese.
“My childhood friends and I would always fight if we had disagreements. And we also enjoyed watching action movies – Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rambo, Jet Li... It was all very motivating. Our street play was fighting [in Guinea-Bissau]. But since I moved to Luxembourg, a quiet place where someone may dare you to fight so they can sue you in court, I had to find ways to channel my energy. I decided to train martial arts, starting with jiu-jitsu. I then saw that MMA was the most complete martial art and that a high percentage of MMA fighters came from jiu-jitsu.”
His decision to pursue martial arts paid off with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu title. But he knew it was only the beginning.
“I started my adventure in the world of MMA by going into jiu-jitsu at first. I was the European IBJJF champion in 2020. From jiu-jitsu competitions, I transitioned to amateur MMA. The initial goal was to have just five amateur bouts. After that, we saw the things I still needed to work on. We kept working on it until I was ready to go pro. As a pro now, things are going well but I’m just getting started.”
Three years on the European amateur circuit helped Pereira identify what he needed to improve before turning professional. His persistence paid off, and people who initially questioned his choice began to support him.
“Only God helped me when I was getting started. Thankfully, after a couple of years of training, I developed a good connection with my master. My jiu-jitsu friends wondered why I would want to get punched in the face. But I let them know that I was looking for something more complete. Initially, I got support from my master and a few friends. Nowadays, some of my family members also came to support my choice to be a fighter, as they’ve seen the results.”
Rivaldo Pereira eyes a finish against David Samuel at PFL Africa 3
‘Don Pepas’ will face Nigeria’s David Samuel at PFL Africa 3: 2026 Playoffs in Casablanca, Morocco, on Oct. 10.
Pereira says he is not intimidated by his opponent.
“I saw his most recent bouts. I give myself a high chance of beating him. I primarily want to knock him out, but anything is possible. The goal is to get a finish, so it doesn’t go to the judges. It will be a good fight for me. He’s undefeated so far, so beating him will be great for me. My strategy is to bang it out. I’ll go for a KO and if I can’t, I’ll go for a submission. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll do all I can to win by decision.”
Pereira prepared for his next challenge at the CTFR Luxembourg academy under coach Fabricio Ribeiro.
“We have everything here – wrestling, muay thai, MMA, jiu-jitsu – everything. We have fighters focused on each of those martial arts, as well as MMA. My training camps are focused on me, 100%.”
Pereira, who defeated Kunle Lawal by TKO at PFL Africa 1 in April, hopes to build on that momentum and see how far he can go.
“My plans are to win my next bout and see if the PFL will offer me a good contract to stay with them, or if I should have a few more fights and try to get into the UFC instead. For now, I’ll keep on fighting and looking for more sponsorships.”
WW alternate Rivaldo Pereira steps in on 24 hours notice and takes out Kunle Lawal with a nasty body shot and 12-6 elbows. He moves on to face David Samuel in the semifinals #PFLPretoria https://t.co/qxUzblErJJ— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 10, 2026
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