"Literally eight minutes unconscious" - Alex Pereira recalls horrifying experience of knocking his opponent out cold for prolonged time
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira recently recalled the time he knocked out an opponent who stayed unconscious for over 5 minutes.
Pereira appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani this week and was asked about his concern for his opponents' welfare when he steps into the cage.
Helwani specifically mentioned 'Poatan's LFA 95 bout against Thomas Powell in 2020, which saw the Brazilian KO him in the first round. The worrying scenes then came next as Powell was laid flat out on the canvas for a significant time.
Watch the clip here:
Helwani admitted at the time he genuinely thought Powell may have died and was curious to know what Pereira was thinking at the time.
According to the light heavyweight champ, that's the most scared he's felt for an opponent during his career. Courtesy of Pereira's coach and translator Plinio Cruz, 'Poatan' said:
"That's the fight that's scared him [Alex Pereira] the most in terms of hurting somebody. You go there prepared and do everything to win the fight, but after the fight is over you still want the opponent to be able to go back home to his family."
He continued:
The guy was literally eight minutes unconscious on the floor. Even Glover, me [Plinio Cruz] and him [Pereira], we were all concerned with what was going on...Seeing that was really hardcore. He can still be the stone face but he still ahs a good heart. He was definitely scared for a little bit."
Catch Alex Pereira's comments here (6:57):
Alex Pereira open to training with Israel Adesanya but only under one condition
Alex Pereira recently admitted he's willing to put his rivalry with Israel Adesanya aside for the pair to train together.
Pereira is currently preparing for his blockbuster showdown against Jamahal Hill after the pair were announced as the UFC 300 headliner last weekend.
The bout marks a return to action for Hill following his achilles injury, whereas 'Poatan' is preparing for his first light heavyweight title defense.
in the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Pereira was asked about his training and his rivalry with Adesanya. According to the Brazilian, he's now put their past behind him and would be open to training with the Nigerian New Zealder instead of competing against him. Courtesy Plinio Cruz once again, Pereira said:
"He feels that it's over, but anything can happen...Even to the point that he thinks that they could both even train together if it comes down to that because he feels that if that ever happens, Israel is a very experienced guy, Alex is a very experienced guy, similar styles of high level striking, different aspects of the game that one could add to the other."
Catch Pereira's comments here: