UFC veteran, Chael Sonnen is completely sold on Alex Pereira’s greatness. In fact, the former UFC MW title contender is now lipping “Chama” despite not knowing what that actually means. Speaking to his Good Guy/Bad Guy co-host, Daniel Cormier, Sonnen went on a ballistic rant, comparing Pereira to the great Michael Jordan! He stated,
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“I just think it might be one of those interesting things where there’s not really going to be much left for us to discuss. He (Alex Pereira) will go into that Michael Jordan-type realm where you’re not watching him because you want to know the outcome, you’re watching him for his greatness.”
Joining the promotion in 2021 as a middleweight contender, the Brazilian shot up the ranks and eventually snatched the title from his long-time rival, Israel Adesanya. With middleweight conquered, Pereira then moved up a weight class to light heavyweight and got the gold there becoming the promotion’s ninth double champ, and leaving everyone in awe of his in-ring prowess.
Now, the former two-division champion is knocking on Jon Jones’ doors after expressing his desire to move further up to heavyweight. At this point, Sonnen much like everybody else is tuning in just to catch the kickboxer in action regardless of the result. And, Pereira akin to Jordan is headed to the annals of history, poised to become an icon of the sport.
In fact, combat sports pundits like Teddy Atlas are already comparing the new MMA boogeyman to greats like Joe Louis and Mike Tyson, extolling the Brazilian’s finesse and clinical precision.
Teddy Atlas blown away by Poatan’s ability after the champ destroyed Prochazka
While everyone favored Pereira at UFC 303, nobody saw a switch-kick KO coming, especially against a Muay Thai champion like Jiri Prochazka. Even though ‘The Czech Samurai’ managed to survive the first five minutes of the bout, unlike their first meeting, Pereira saw the opening and fired a kick that landed flush on the former champ’s dome.
With ‘BJP’ already stunned, a few ground strikes finished him, but what impressed Atlas the most was Pereira’s short punch. Speaking on the panel of ESPN’s Post Show, Atlas gave props to Pereira, saying,
“I haven’t seen a short punch like that since Joe Louis. Joe Louis was famous for throwing six-inch punches. I just saw a three-inch left hook. Incredible.”
Furthermore, Atlas, being a keen observer and an astute guru, mentioned how dead-focused the Brazilian is whenever there’s an opponent in front of him. On top of it, the boxing coach also hailed Pereira’s cold start, comparing it to the likes of Mike Tyson and the late Sonny Liston.
