Alex Pereira offers eye-opening take on why his opponents end up not wrestling him: “They go and try to be prideful”
UFC light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira has given his opinion on why his opponents fail to wrestle and land takedowns.
This weekend at UFC 313, 'Poatan' will look to defend his title for the fourth time against top contender Magomed Ankalaev. Ahead of the battle, the Brazilian UFC champion was seen sharpening his takedown defense with fellow countryman Glover Teixeira.
Although Pereira is feared for his powerful left hook and leg kicks, striking might not be the sole key to victory against a well-rounded opponent like Ankalaev.
Ankalaev, who had previously stated that he would forgo his wrestling against Pereira, most recently seems to have recanted his promises.
In a recent interview on Daniel Cormier's YouTube channel, 'DC' stated that Pereira has a unique quality that prevents his opponents from level changing or taking him down.
Weighing in on the same subject, 'Poatan' said:
"I think the way that I position myself, the angles that I fight, the way that I do, I don’t give them. In wrestling, you know you need to open, you need that time. I don’t give them that time."
He added:
"So you put that all together, and like so many guys coming, and are like, oh, they try to take me down, they cannot take me down. They go and try to be prideful and say Oh, see I lost, but at least I try to stand with this guy. No, you didn’t try to stand with me, you could not take me down."
Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (9:40):
Chael Sonnen thinks Alex Pereira is "100% ready" to take on Magomed Ankalaev
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen was previously worried that Alex Pereira is not training enough for his upcoming title defense.
However, in a recent YouTube video, Sonnen revealed that everyone has been misinformed that the Brazilian fighter has been careless about his preparations and lack of training. He said:
"I’ve been to the PI for two days in a row now. Alex Pereira is the only fighter on this weekend’s card who has sparred... This is a myth, this whole thing about the struggle or Pereira’s not focused… You’ve all misled us. This guy is a 100% ready."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (7:54):