Alex Pereira has become a superstar during his time in the UFC, where his elite kickboxing background has been put to devastating use.
“Poatan” is one of the best strikers we have ever seen inside the Octagon and he’s delivered some incredible highlights in his run so far.
In the third defense of his light heavyweight title at UFC 307 this weekend, he will face another powerful striker in Khalil Rountree.
Many find it hard to imagine how Rountree will win a stand-up battle against the champion but there is one chink in Pereira’s armour that could cost him.
Stephen Thompson Says Alex Pereira’s Aggression Could Be A Problem For Him At UFC 307
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Stephen Thompson spoke about Pereira’s unique approach to striking in MMA.
“Wonderboy” will also be in action on Saturday night in Salt Lake City where you’re sure to see his wide range of kickboxing weapons on display against Joaquin Buckley.
Rather than the evasive and dynamic style of Thompson, Pereira’s kickboxing approach is far more aggressive and on the front-foot.
He doesn’t move around all that much and will usually stand right in front of his opponents.
The champion is so powerful and confident in his ability to land his own shots that he doesn’t tend to move out of the way of his opponents’, when they launch something back his way.
As it did in his MMA rematch with Israel Adesanya, Thompson questioned whether this could be dangerous for him against an opponent like Rountree.
“It [the aggression] did not work for him when he fought Izzy, you know. That’s kind of the same thing that he got caught in was in that brawl and he was taking shots but he wasn’t evading any, he was still in the face trying to throw and he got clipped and he went down. I mean he relies a lot on his toughness, he’s a very durable fighter for a guy to be fighting so much but yeah man, that’s dangerous. If you get there with another striker, especially Khalil Rountree, Khalil Rountree is a powerful guy.”
