Besides delivering enthralling in-octagon showdowns, Alex Pereira is determined to keep shocking fans with the frequency of his fights as well. But ‘Poatan’s’ coach, Plinio Cruz, appeared on the latest episode of the MMA Hour and revealed how he asked the UFC light heavyweight champ to drop his idea of fighting at the upcoming UFC 305.
It’s pertinent to note that Pereira’s archrival, Israel Adesanya, will be headlining the Perth-based PPV on 18 August. So, this might be a life coming to a full circle moment for the Brazilian.
Fans have often witnessed UFC fighters slowing down the frequency of their fights after claiming the divisional title. But the 37-year-old Brazilian stands as a strong exception in this regard. Despite being the reigning light heavyweight champ, Pereira has already taken to the octagon twice in the current year.
But Cruz objected to Pereira’s wish of taking to the octagon once again after such a short interval. He revealed that the former UFC middleweight champ had trained on the past Monday (1 July) as well, which was just a day after his UFC 303 victory.
He realized that Pereira had set his sights on the UFC 305 and hence urged him to “pump the brakes” a bit. Cruz said,
“This guy’s [Pereira] crazy. Maybe that’s why he trained [on Monday]. He said ‘Listen, this is my second sparring for my camp for Perth, I want to fight on that card.’ I said ‘No, no, no. Pump the brakes a little bit.’ He’s crazy, bro.”
Credits: USA TODAY Sports
Well, fans would agree that Pereira has already proven himself as one of the most active UFC champions in history. He doesn’t need to prove anything more by returning to the octagon this quickly.
This is why lots of fans may be wondering why exactly is he planning a comeback after such a short interval despite suffering a broken Hallux toe during his UFC 303 fight.
Poatan inching towards replacing Conor McGregor
McGregor was unquestionably one of the most formidable UFC champions during his prime years. But apart from delivering enthralling fights, the Irishman had also set a standard regarding being active, something other champions like Ilia Topuria and Jon Jones haven’t been doing.
So, naturally, Pereira defending his title every other day has fans mesmerized.
Now, while the UFC community may be hailing the frequency at which Pereira takes to the octagon, one of McGregor’s recent Instagram stories showcased that he used to be even more active than ‘Poatan’ during his peak years in the UFC.
McGregor has claimed that he had fought at four UFC PPVs within 336 days, while Pereira took 337 days to appear in the same amount of PPVs.
Well, McGregor may be holding just a one-day advantage over ‘Poatan’ in this regard. But Pereira probably wants to defeat McGregor in this regard as well.
So, if ‘Poatan’ takes to the octagon at UFC 305, he will appear in five UFC PPVs within 387 days.
Whereas a look at McGregor’s record reveals that he went on an almost two-year hiatus after the last fight he mentioned in his story.
To be fair, Pereira is still winning this race. Conor McGregor has never defended any of his title, and not just in the UFC, but throughout his whole MMA career.
