Alex Pereira puts legend Daniel Cormier out of misery with wrestling clip ahead of UFC 313

Alex Pereira reassures Daniel Cormier about grappling prep for Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 PPV title headliner.

Alex Pereira calms Daniel Cormier down about prepping for Magomed Ankalaev (Source: X/IMAGO)

UFC 205-pound king Alex Pereira locks horns with top seed for gold and surging fighter Magomed Ankalaev next. Pereira faces him for his next title defense at UFC 313 PPV, in the March 8 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. By common consensus, Ankalaev is his most advanced challenge yet. UFC Hall of Famer and commentator Daniel Cormier recently cast some doubt on his prepping.

‘Poatan’ and Ankalaev traded blows online in the build-up to the fight. However, “Poatan” has been globe-trotting more than ever. Even recently, he cornered Sean Strickland for his UFC 312 PPV title rematch at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Daniel Cormier, a big proponent for his P4P worth, felt worried about how he’d be handling the challenge. Now, the Brazilian superstar puts him at relative ease.

Don’t worry @dc_mma. We’re over here working 😉
Alex Pereira via IG stories (@alexpoatanpereira)

Daniel Cormier is a former double-division champ, StrikeForce Grand Prix Champ, and an Olympian wrestler. He knows the value of wrestle-heavy games. Meanwhile, Pereira is infamous for his stone hands, but has clear holes in his ground game. UFC 313 title challenger Magomed Ankalaev ranked as a ‘Master of Sport’ in Combat Sambo. He also was the 2016 Akhmat FC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix champ.

FS Video

Alex Pereira responds to DC pic.twitter.com/QTMvuK5ae0
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) February 22, 2025

Ankalaev secured the spot as the top seed for gold by defeating Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in October. While he did promise ‘no takedowns‘, the Russian doused fiery challenges of showing all that he is and told Pereira to stop running.

Accordingly, Pereira puts ‘DC’ and the fan community at ease showing he has geared up his ground game/grappling skills before UFC 313. He uploaded reels from training at The Pit (mixed martial arts) in Arroyo Grande, California. One other person though, has issues with how he trains.

“Signed your death certificate” – Magomed Ankalaev has scary response after Alex Pereira title fight gets confirmed

Magomed Ankalaev promises to destroy Alex Pereira at UFC 313

Chael Sonnen doesn’t like that Alex Pereira doesn’t wear headgear

Alex “Poatan” Pereira is among the top three in the promotion’s official pound-for-pound listings. After his unique triple KO defenses in 2024, many outlets often grant him the top spot. Since joining the UFC, “Poatan” and his stone hands have looked nothing short of electric. Those blink-and-miss shot selections have downed even sparring opponents.

UFC 313's Alex Pereira and his training style draws major complaint — UFC 313’s Alex Pereira and his training style draws major complaint (Source: X)

Pereira’s wave of power comes so easy because he is toned to it. Much like former foe Strickland, he engages in volume sparring. Poatan has had to spend countless hours in the gym to climb the pecking orders of both GLORY and UFC.

His IG handle will always find him sparring multiple times in a week, at Teixeira MMA & Fitness. However, he does it without any guard or padding. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen raised some alarming questions and thoughts about it.

So, Pereira puts out this sparring video, and he’s in there with a professional boxer — it bothers me. I came through the era where we truly believed the harder you got hit in practice, the more you could take in the ring…Randy Couture was the captain in the gym that I came through…he never got CTE. However, Randy preached controlled sparring. When I’m watching Alex Pereira sparring, logically, I can’t accept that time is getting added to his career, that he’s getting better.
Chael Sonnen via his Official YouTube channel (@ChaelSonnenOfficial)

Painful Alex Pereira sparring session details leaves UFC legends in splits: “Claw went through my gut”

Poatan has had weight-cut issues and one grizzly-cold knockout defeat in UFC. But luckily, he has never had a torso or head injury that severe. The grunt of his fight-prep and his kickboxing checks went to his feet. However, if there is any validity to Sonnen’s thoughts, the champ might want to incorporate changes to his volume training.

#About the Author

Dibaas.M

(1444 Articles Published)

Dibaas is an avid combat sports enthusiast and an MMA writer at FirstSportz. His knack of the sport started early, ranging as far back as UFC 81: Breaking Point; the first match watched. Barring a few years in the middle, he got back in the fold watching the rise of the likes of Conor McGregor, Kamaru Usman, and others... He also happens to be in the habit of writing, wherein his interests collide. He loves to report on anything and everything within the combat sports bubble. He has helped in freelance social redesign and rebranding for a few Instagram businesses, as well as digital/manual art restoration. He has a year of experience as Community service Associate, 4+ years of experience as a freelance content writer, and a year of experience in target-oriented writing. Currently, he delves into topics of MMA, Boxing, and Kickboxing to the best of his ability and share it with a dedicated audience.

Alex Pereira puts legend Daniel Cormier out of misery with wrestling clip ahead of UFC 313

Chael Sonnen doesn’t like that Alex Pereira doesn’t wear headgear

Stay Updated!

Israel Adesanya comes clean about controversially representing China: “…because money”

Shavkat Rakhmonov makes a statement after losing his title shot in Montreal against Belal Muhammad

Alexander Volkanovski warned after Dana White announcement as Diego Lopes vows to make dream come true