Chael Sonnen has some strong thoughts on the pressure light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is facing as a star in the UFC. In a recent conversation with Daniel Cormier, Sonnen was asked how big of a star he believes Pereira has become and just how much pressure is on him to deliver in the Octagon. Uncle Chael shot for the stars and compared Pereira’s situation to that of Mike Tyson and Michael Jordan.
The former middleweight contender pointed out that, just like those icons, Pereira is expected to carry the weight of fight cards on his shoulders, which adds a whole new level of intensity to his performances.
With the spotlight firmly on him, fans are eager to see how Pereira handles the immense expectations that come with being one of the sport’s biggest names.
In a sitdown episode of their podcast, ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’, Sonnen further dived deeper into his train of thought saying,
“It’s so interesting that you put that up. This has all the makings of an upset I gotta tell you. How big of a star is he, in fighting, it has always taken two sides to draw an audience. They say there are two exceptions to that, Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson. They’re counting on Pereira to be that Michael Jordan-esque star where his presence and athletic ability is so big and so great.”
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Uncle Chael went on to add that in MMA terms, Pereira is still a beginner. The fight against Rountree will be his 14th professional MMA fight.
Both Cormier and Sonnen agreed that because he is still so new to the game, the improvements he makes between fights is a lot more compared to a more seasoned veteran.
Despite that Sonnen believes this is the end of the road as a champion for Pereira at UFC 307.
Sonnen picks Rountree over Pereira
Chael Sonnen is predicting a major upset at UFC 307; he believes Khalil Rountree Jr. will take down Alex Pereira.
On his Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, Sonnen compared the matchup to a WWE showdown, emphasizing that Rountree, who has won five in a row, is a serious threat.
“Khalil does his best work when he’s attacked by a kickboxer,” Sonnen explained, pointing out that Rountree thrives as a counterfighter. He expressed surprise at the matchup but insists Rountree deserves this shot and has what it takes to win.
Sonnen also noted that when a fighter is seen as the “baddest man“, facing someone like Rountree, who’s the underdog and a tough opponent, can lead to unexpected challenges.
With Rountree’s history of knocking out tough fighters, Sonnen asserts that this could be a disaster for anyone thinking the UFC is trying to protect Pereira.
