UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier cannot comprehend Alex Pereira’s success in MMA despite having no background in grappling

Daniel Cormier cannot believe how Alex Pereira became a two division champion with zero wrestling skills.

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier cannot comprehend Alex Pereira’s success in MMA despite having no background in grappling

Daniel Cormier on Alex Pereira (Image via Imago)

Alex Pereira successfully defended his light-heavyweight title at UFC 300. Pereira’s performance has shocked several people in the MMA world including former UFC champion, Daniel Cormier. The two have a close enough relationship for Cormier to confirm on the Good Guy/Bad Guy Show that Pereira has zero wrestling ability. However, with just eight fights in the UFC, Pereira has been able to bag two championship titles and might soon bag his third.

Daniel Cormier recently sat down with Chael Sonnen on the Good Guy/Bad Guy Show. The two talked about UFC 300 and Alex Pereira‘s knockout punch that put out Jamahal Hill, the former champion. Cormier could not believe how Pereira who lacked the skills of grappling could dominate two divisions. 

He can't wrestle! He does not know how to wrestle. When you grab his legs he kinda just falls down. He can't wrestle!
Daniel Cormier on The Good Guy/Bad Guy
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What Cormier said next about Pereira was very interesting. He said Poatan as a former kickboxer has this singular talent that is so good that it does not matter what he cannot do. Pereira is a former GLORY Kickboxing champion. He was the first fighter in GLORY history to hold two belts in different weight classes at the same time.

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Jamahal Hill had confidently claimed during his conversation with Demetrious Johnson that he would not wrestle Pereira but rather knock him out. At the UFC 300 main event, just three minutes into the first round Alex Pereira knocked down Jamahal Hill with a powerful left hook and hit him with a few strikes on the ground before the referee separated the two.

Alex Pereira’s manager confirmed ‘Poatan’ will not fight at UFC 301

Pereira reportedly fractured his toe two weeks before UFC 300. With that injury, he fought Hill in the main event and secured a first-round knockout victory. However, Pereira seems to have broken another toe during the fight with Hill which has prompted his manager to cancel plans for UFC 301.

Alex Pereira with manager Jorge Guimarães
Alex Pereira with manager Jorge Guimarães (Image via X)

Alex Pereira’s manager Jorge Guimaraes wants Pereira to heal and recover before he steps into a UFC octgaon again. Talking to MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast, Guimaraes revealed that Pereira had urged him not to inform the promotion about his injury ahead of UFC 300 because he wanted to fight no matter what.

Now that Pereira has successfully secured his title defense, Jorge Guimaraes wants Poatan out of the octagon, especially UFC 301 this May in Rio de Janeiro. He informed that Pereira may be present to witness the event but he would surely not be a part of it.

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