Coach Azizyan, the mastermind behind UFC rising star Sharaputdin Magomedov, isn’t holding back his thoughts on light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. Despite Poatan’s reputation as one of the most dangerous strikers in the UFC, Azizyan believes the Brazilian lacks real technique and hasn’t been tested by true competition.
According to Azizyan, Pereira’s rise has been fueled more by UFC’s marketing than by facing top-level opponents. In contrast, he claims that Magomedov, who’s quickly gaining attention, brings more excitement and skill to the cage, making him a more complete fighter than the champion.
Bullet’s coach dived deeper into his thoughts in a recent interview with Red Corner MMA.
“If I am being fair, Shara is more exciting than Alex Pereira. Shara’s striking is more dynamic. Alex Pereira does not have that technique. Shara can land 60 low kicks, 30 middle and 10 high in one fight. We have not seen that from Alex Pereira. We have all seen how they’re pushing Pereira, not a single serious opponent. Ankalaev is number one but he is defending the title against number 6 or 7.”
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The main issue for Azizyan here appears to be that Pereira has not faced Ankalaev yet and chose to face Rountree. Other than that, ‘Poatan’ has faced all of the top contenders the UFC has put in front of him and beaten them in an utterly dominant manner.
Azizyan also stated that compared to Russians, it is extremely easy to promote Brazilian fighters, so the UFC backs Pereira which is another reason why fans have a better perception of him and his fighting abilities than is the case.
Truth be told, there is some truth to it. Despite Pereira’s status in the pound-for-pound rankings and his incredible run of fights in 2024, the fact remains- he hasn’t fought a single individual who can grapple to save their lives. And for some bizarre reason, everyone wants to stand and deal with him like this is kickboxing and not MMA!
Regardless, Azizyan joins Jamahal Hill as two people who have been extremely critical of Pereira recently.
Hill defends ‘yawning’ at Pereira vs Rountree
Hill clarified the context behind his reaction to Alex Pereira’s win over Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 after fans assumed his on-camera activities were a sign of boredom.
Hill was seen yawning after Pereira’s fourth-round TKO, leading many to believe he found the fight dull. However, Hill explained on his YouTube channel that his reaction was misunderstood.
“It’s funny how people jump to conclusions,” Hill said.
“I didn’t say the fight was boring, I just wasn’t impressed. I expected the fight to play out the way it did, as I mentioned in my previous breakdowns.”
Hill, who was knocked out by Pereira earlier this year, added that his yawn was simply an acknowledgment that the fight went as predicted, without any surprises. “I wasn’t scared or shocked by anything. It was entertaining, but I was ready to move on,” he concluded.
Hill, meanwhile, has also indicated finalizing a potential opponent soon, who the MMA community firmly believes to be former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.
