Alex Pereira has better grappling than he’s given credit for.
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion is one of the most lethal strikers in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. Pereira, 36, fully committed to MMA after a full career in kickboxing that saw him obtain multiple world titles. Therefore, a grappling deficiency was always expected to be a problem in the Octagon.
Despite his skillset heavily favoring his stand-up, Pereira has succeeded mightily, winning titles at Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in less than 10 UFC fights. Currently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 301 fight week, Pereira and a fellow former two-division champion, Daniel Cormier, had a little fun backstage on media day. In the encounter, the legendary wrestler, Cormier, got more than he bargained for from “Poatan” as seen in the embedded video above. An alternate view can be seen below.
You know every time @DC_MMA sees @AlexPereiraUFC he has to test out that wrestling #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/dW9iwk8nO4
— UFC (@ufc) May 1, 2024
Pereira recently picked up his first UFC title defense when he scored a first round knockout over Jamahal Hill (watch highlights) at UFC 300 last month (April 13, 2024). With the relatively quick finish, “Poatan” hoped to find a way onto the hometown event of UFC 301 this weekend (Sat., May 4, 2024). Instead, the Flyweight title takes center stage when the champion, Alexandre Pantoja, defends against Australia’s Steve Erceg.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card on fight night, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 301 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.