When the conversation turns to the best boxers in the UFC, a few familiar names usually pop up—Ilia Topuria with his sharp counters, Max Holloway and his relentless volume, and of course, the always-crispy hands of Dustin Poirier. But according to Glover Teixeira, there’s one name that stands above them all—and it’s not even close.
The former UFC champ and now full-time coach believes his pupil and friend, Alex Pereira, doesn’t just have the best hands in the UFC right now… he’s operating on a whole different level.
“Alex, just because of the power and how he hits,” Teixeira said while comparing Pereira to some of the UFC’s best strikers.
“Those guys, they are great punchers. Topuria, he has incredible combinations, he is a great boxer, don’t get me wrong, he can probably be top 2”, the former champion added.
Pereira came over into the UFC as a multiple-time, multiple-weight-class world champion in kickboxing.
He has since become one of the biggest stars in the UFC, and it’s been mostly due to his sharp and precise hands. Aptly named ‘Poatan’ or ‘Stone Hands’, Pereira has managed to knock out former world champions like Israel Adesanya, Jamahal Hill, and Jiri Prochazka.
With Pereira, Teixeira feels that he has a rare gift of a boxer’s sight. In fact, he went as far as comparing his student to two all-time greats, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
“Alex just has the eyes,” he explained. “You can see Alex, the movement he makes is almost like Mayweather, Pacquiao.”
Explaining his reasons for making the statement, Texeira added, “If you see sometimes Mayweather, when you jab him he does not even move because he knows it is not going to hit him. Alex does those kind of things, his vision is that much.”
Teixeira also pointed out that there’s more to Pereira’s game than just raw power or reflexes. “Also, I just feel like Alex, his visual strategy is better,” he added, praising Pereira’s ability to read and react in real time.
While Glover of course, backs his pupil, the man he picked to be the runner-up, Topuria, has different ideas.
Topuria makes a case for himself
Heading into UFC 308 last year, Topuria felt he had to contend with opponent Holloway’s “best boxer in the UFC” tag.
That claim, made by Holloway during his win over Calvin Kattar back in 2021, forced the Spaniard to give the Hawaiian his flowers for being a good striker but while noting that it would be a shame for the promotion if Max was the best boxer on offer.
“He has a lot of experience and he’s very patient in the octagon,” Topuria said.
“But everyone looks good when they’re allowed to fight their fight. I was going to bring pressure he’s never felt before.”
And that’s exactly what happened. Topuria delivered on his promise, knocking Holloway out and successfully defending his featherweight title in the UFC 308 main event.
He was sharp and didn’t really depend on counter-punching, instead forcing Holloway against the cage, as he had done to former champion Alexander Volkanovski seven months before.
It should also be noted that, unlike Pereira, who did get pieced up against the 8th-ranked Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, Topuria hardly got hit during either of his title fights.
Besides, an argument can be made for the Topuria, considering the sheer quality of the opponents he finished compared to the ones Pereira faced in his time under the UFC umbrella. What do you think? Do let us know.
