Light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira is UFC’s knight in shining armor, having saved three of its mega events this year itself. The Brazilian has already defended his title thrice in 2024, two of them on short notice. Now, following his UFC 307 performance, UFC veteran and analyst Chael Sonnen has compared his ‘swagger’ to Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Sonnen asserted how ‘Poatan’ captivated the fans after dismantling Khalil Rountree in R4, essentially riling up the crowd with his ‘Chama’!
Detailing the instance in the latest Good Guy/ Bad Guy podcast, Sonnen explained the scenes to his co-host Daniel Cormier and said that he was scrolling through social media and saw the crowd reciprocating Pereira’s ‘Chama’ chants.
“They’re doing it, he’s doing it and they’re going back over and over. The Rock is about the only entertainer out there that can get the audience to engage, to get the audiences to stand up and do a chant back, we’ve got a guy that doesn’t even speak the tongue natively right? And he’s the one leading this, I’ve never really seen anything like this.”
Pereira is an anomaly indeed! The UFC hasn’t created a single superstar that transcends the sport into the mainstream since Conor McGregor. And that ship has since sailed through some wild waters.
But Poatan is different. Getting Americans to stand up and chant something in a language native to Brazil is unheard of. But given the absolute carnage that the main event with Khalil Rountree Jr. was, no one should be surprised to see the world in Pereira’s palms!
Meanwhile, Rountree also broke his silence after a commendable effort against the light heavyweight champion, expressing his gratitude to Pereira for the unbelievable show.
“I grew last night” – Khalil on his UFC 307 performance
‘The War Horse’ certainly had a chance until the former two-division Glory kickboxing champion imposed his will on him in the mid-rounds. While the American started the fight strong, catching the champ with a few shots, and even dropping Pereira at one point, the Brazilian showed his class and put the pedal to the metal after R3.
He methodically dismantled the challenger with brutal shots, finally nailing the final one in the coffin with a vicious body shot combo.
Rountree slumped forward and had taken enough damage when the referee called it off.
Following the bout, the challenger shared his thoughts on the fight with a lengthy IG post –
“I didn’t win the title but I grew last night. Alex Pereira, thanks for helping me see that I’m ready to take on the world. You showed amazing skill, you brought out a version of me that I needed to experience. You’re the champ for a reason, much respect. But I now know what I am capable of.”
Every now and then there happens a fight in the UFC that has no losers. This was one such fight. Despite having lost the title match, Khalil’s stock has grown and will continue to do so.
