Alex Pereira won the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 295 in Madison Square Garden. He beat Jiri Prochazka by knockout to become a two-division champion. There has been a lot of praise for Pereira for making such a meteoric rise to the top. Yet, MMA legend Alistair Overeem see some holes in Pereira’s game that a fighter can expose.
The Career Of Alex Pereira
There was so much hype around Pereira when he made his UFC debut. It was because of his history with then-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He won the middleweight title by beating Adesanya and has had many impressive wins in the UFC. The Brazilian accomplished a rare feat: winning belts in many weight divisions. Yet, Overeem doesn’t seem too impressed with Pereira.
“He’s interesting,” Overeem told talkSPORT.com.
“Do I see him as a champion? No.
“At this moment, they have difficulty figuring him out. The moment they figure him out, they are going to destroy him, and that will be a tough time for him.”
Alistair Overeem On His Weakness On The Ground
Pereira has never been able to go on the ground, as his striking is so good. Overeem believes he will struggle if he ever gets taken down.
“He’s excellent in the striking department. Yet his jiu-jitsu and grappling are not there.
“He’s so good in the striking department other fighters cannot take him down. The moment they figure him out, striking-wise, it’ll be difficult for him.”
All quotes via talkSPORT
It will be interesting to see what Pereira does next; whatever he does, it will draw much attention. There is no doubt that the Brazilian is working on improving every aspect of his game. Yet, to have a long run as champion Pereira will have to improve his skills on the ground if he does that he will be unstoppable.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
