Joe Rogan and Francis Ngannou explain why Alex Pereira and Cédric Doumbé are so intimidating: "You can't take him down anymore"
Joe Rogan and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou were full of praise for reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and PFL striker extraordinaire Cédric Doumbé on episode #160 of The Joe Rogan Experience. Both Pereira and Doumbé are some of MMA's most fearsome strikers.
They are also both all-time great kickboxers, with 'Poatan' having reigned as the first simultaneous two-division Glory Kickboxing champion in the promotion's history, while Doumbé is a former two-time Glory Kickboxing welterweight champion. Their elite-level striking has led to great success in MMA.
This is especially true for Pereira, who has arguably become the face of the UFC, and a two-division champion in the promotion. Despite being strikers by trade, both Pereira and Doumbé have become better defensive wrestlers, which Rogan noted.
"Very intelligent, and again, his [Cedric Doumbé's] level of striking, we see that with guys like Alex Pereira, right? Like, that level of striking when you're a Glory champion, the level of striking is so high, it's so above the average MMA fighter. Then he gets in there with these guys, they don't want none of that."
This drew Ngannou's agreement, who mentioned that the likes of Pereira and Doumbé will only become tougher for their opponents to deal with, the more their anti-wrestling improves.
"Then as soon as they start to get a little wrestling defense and stuff like that, they become in trouble, you can't take him down anymore. Then, you stand in front of him and he smokes you, so what do you do?"
Check out Joe Rogan and Francis Ngannou praising Alex Pereira and Cedric Doumbé (43:25):
Doumbé, in particular, has impressed Ngannou. They are both Cameroonian Frenchmen signed to the PFL, with devastating striking and knockout power.
Joe Rogan has always spoken highly of Alex Pereira
Joe Rogan is a longtime follower of Alex Pereira. Long before 'Poatan' had set the MMA world alight with his stunning knockouts and championship conquests, the UFC color commentator was already a fan, watching his Glory Kickboxing fights.
"He is without doubt, one of the most dangerous strikers on planet Earth."
Check out Joe Rogan praising Alex Pereira:
He always opined that if Pereira could tweak certain aspects of his game, he would transition to MMA without much issue. Years later, his prediction has proven true, as 'Poatan' is among the UFC's most dominant fighters, having beaten five different UFC champions in just nine fights.