Daniel Cormier has witnessed firsthand what Alex Pereira can do inside the Octagon, showcasing dominant performances against some of the light heavyweight division’s best.
Pereira is set to make his fourth title defense against former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev on March 8, at UFC 313. He won his first UFC title in just his eighth professional MMA fight and claimed his second championship in his 11th bout.
UFC color commentator Cormier, who previously held both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, made it clear that he would not doubt Pereira’s abilities. In fact, he believes Pereira will be a force in the division for years to come.
“Now one thing I won’t do is question Alex,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I’m done. I won’t question whether or not he can wrestle, I won’t question any of that anymore, because he has proven it time and time again that whatever he’s doing is right and it’s allowed for him to become one of the greatest fighters of all time.
“Yes, he is one of the greatest fighters of all time in the shortest amount of time I have ever seen anyone building a legacy that is that strong or a résumé that is that strong, never seen it.
“I’ve never seen someone do what Pereira has done, and he’s a free spirit—maybe that free spirit allows for him to be as good as he’s been. This dude’s the man, and if he gets through this next challenge, if he gets through Ankalaev, I’m going on the record and saying that light heavyweight is going to have a ‘Poatan‘ problem for a really long time.”
