"I don't think he can be a champion too many years" - Rising UFC star expects Alex Pereira to lose middleweight title soon
Rising UFC star Caio Borralho has provided an eyebrow-raising opinion, claiming that newly crowned middleweight champion Alex Pereira doesn't have the skill set to hold on to the title for too long.
The Brazilian scored back-to-back victories on Dana White's Contender Series, which earned him a UFC contract. The prospect has taken full advantage of the opportunity, beating Armen Petrosyan, Makhmud Muradov, and the then-undefeated Gadzhi Omargadzhiev in his first three UFC outings.
While discussing his compatriot Alex Pereira's title reign in a recent interview with The Schmo, Caio Borralho insisted that a new middleweight king will soon be crowned as the champion's lack of wrestling will prove fatal to his championship run:
"I don't think he can be a champion [for] too many years because the wrestling background will make a difference in a few more fights. The guys that he got in his first fights wasn't real wrestlers or wasn't real guys that take the guys down and he got taken down by all of them, [apart from] Strickland [who] tried to brawl with him, he's crazy. I don't think he's gonna keep [being] a champion for so many years, I even think that he's gonna come up the division because it's too much 185 for him, it's too much weight to lose."
'The Natural' could potentially be a future title challenger in the division and is looking much more polished each time he enters the cage. The 13-1 talent has already beaten some tough competition throughout his career and aims to continue in his push for greatness in the sport.
Check out what the South American prospect had to say about Alex Pereira in the video below:
Where does Alex Pereira go following his middleweight title win?
Alex Pereira stunned the mixed martial arts world when he once again came from behind to score a knockout win over his long-term rival Israel Adesanya, snatching away the Nigerian-New Zealander's gold and beginning his first-ever UFC championship reign.
Following the win, the former Glory kickboxing world champion teased a move to light heavyweight in the future. However, he has stated on multiple occasions that he will give 'The Last Stylebender' one final chance at beating him and reclaiming the title.
While it looks almost certain that Pereira will meet Adesanya next, if 'The Last Stylebender' decides to take a short break from the octagon, we could possibly see Robert Whittaker or Khamzat Chimaev face the titleholder next.