Chael Sonnen revisits "chilling moment" that sets Alex Pereira apart from rest of the UFC roster
Chael Sonnen recently took the time to revisit and reflect on Alex Pereira's stunning TKO victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 last year.
UFC 281's main event pitted long-time rivals Adesanya and Pereira against one another for the middleweight title. The bout was a back-and-forth contest that demonstrated their elite striking as they headed into the fifth round with Israel Adesanya up on the scorecard. 'The Last Stylebender' just needed to survive, whereas 'Poatan' was looking for the finish.
Chael Sonnen recently uploaded a video to his YouTube where he reflected on their bout and specifically a moment between the fourth and fifth round. Sonnen highlighted Alex Pereira's corner chat with Glover Texeira, who told him he must finish Adesanya to win the title. 'Poatan' headed his coach's words and as the round began, he walked the middleweight champ up to the side of the cage before eventually landing the shots that finished the fight.
Alex Pereira knocks out Israel Adesanya.
Izzy was out on his feet.
#UFC281 https://t.co/XQNFnzngJv
According to 'The American Gangster', Alex Pereira's ability to know exactly what he had to do in the fifth round sets him apart from any other fighter in the organization:
"Pereira makes it perfectly clear of his understanding of his opinion and time and space. He looked to his cornerman Glover Teixeira and said 'This is the fifth round isn't it? I have to stop him don't I? Okay. I'm going to knock him out. It was chilling...No other athlete has a command of his senses in the fifth round...That was what was more impressive than anything else."
Catch the video here [1:00]:
Alex Pereira weighs in on Francis Ngannou potentially facing Tyson Fury
Last month, Dana White announced that the UFC were parting ways with heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The UFC president claimed they had failed to agree to a new contract with 'The Predator' due to his demands, therefore he vacated the title and walked away from the organization.
Ngannou has been vocal about his desire to step into the boxing ring and face Tyson Fury in a superfight. The Cameroonian fighter had been pushing for the UFC to allow him to branch over as well as help co-promote the bout, but Dana White refused, leading to their talks breaking down.
Now a free-agent, Francis Ngannou is still pushing to make his boxing debut, with Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder as possible opponents.
During an interview with MMAFighting, Alex Pereira gave his take on Ngannou's chances should he ever face Fury in the squared circle:
“It depends if he’s fighting the elite. [Boxing against] Tyson is hard. It’s suicide… There are other guys for him to start. [He can go] one step at a time. If he really wants to fight those guys, then he’s just thinking about the money. I don’t know if that’s the case. But to say ‘I’m going there because I want to become champion,’ that’s hard. [Boxing] someone who can defend from his punches, [Ngannou] would get tired.”