Hell, I would like to see how 5 rounds with Błachowicz would go. The first fight was an interesting one and it happened at altitude. Hopefully Pereiras next fight is vs Ankelaev or at heavyweight.
If he beats Tom Aspinall and Ankalaev. He's an atg. But Jon Jones still has him beat. A hall of famer for sure.
People underestimate prime Liddell’s striking ability. Pereira’s chin is vulnerable and he’s open to counters. Liddell had very fast hands and was at his best countering against aggressive opponents. He could easily knock out Pereira if he landed clean.
Guys beating a bunch of smaller strikers, many coming off serious injuries. How is this guy a double UFC champion and hasnt had to fight a single high level grappler yet (Jan doesnt count). I take all the Pereira hype with a pinch of salt. He was just knock out cold by a smaller Izzy not that long ago.
What Pereira has done in the space of 10 fights or whatever it is is kinda crazy. He’s knocking on the door of top 20 All time. A win over Ankalaev would cement him in the top 15 for sure
He would have been a significant underdog in a pure stand up situation, but if he used his overall MMA game he would have had a solid chance at winning, might have even been the favourite tbh.
For me, if you rank Izzy high, you have to put Pereira higher. First of all, they’re 1-1. Pereira holds a win over a top 2/3 Middleweight all time, despite having 4/5 fights under his belt, which only increases that win. Yes izzy is smaller, but surely the lack of experience in MMA cancels that out? He also has a win over Strickland (future champ) and Jan (although it was close) which Izzy does not. He then has the two weight world championships, which Izzy does not. Also, what high level grapplers has Izzy beat? Not that this should count towards Alex’s ATG ranking, but it’s a fair comparison And lastly, Pereiras quality of wins should far outweigh the quantity. He’s now beat what, 5 UFC champs (one of them twice) in 8/9 fights?
