Alex Pereira won titles across two weight classes in just eight UFC fights, defeating five former champions in the process. Although he did it all primarily as a devastating striker and showed incredible knockout power, he only had 12 total mixed martial arts bouts on his resume and was expected to be a lifelong kickboxer. It still shows some flaws.
Pereira just headlined one of the biggest cards in UFC 300 history, capping off the night with a brutal knockout of Jamahal Hill. Assessing that performance, analyst and fighter Anthony Smith praised Pereira for getting the job done in impressive fashion, but said that he was not impressed by the demands placed on Pereira from his first day arriving in the UFC. I agree with some of the criticisms. Criticism that could hurt the Brazilian star.
“I stand by everything I said,” Smith told MMA Fighting. “[Daniel Cormier] I always say that. How can this guy still win fights? Yes, I also ask the same thing. Because it makes no sense! His skill set is very limited. He's very, very, very dangerous in some ways, but ordinary in others.
“Instead of making it look like I'm badmouthing him, I'm encouraging him. It's amazing! For him to be able to do what he's been able to do for this long at this level. It's really impressive. I'm not giving a shit about it.”
Smith is not going to walk back the comments he made about Pereira just because he continues to win with the best weapons at his disposal. From his first day arriving in the UFC, Pereira had already become one of the most deadly strikers to ever fight inside the Octagon, but other areas of his game are still developing.
According to Smith, Pereira's first fight at light heavyweight is a perfect example of those flaws. At UF 291, former champion Jan Blachowicz tackled him to the ground and essentially beat him up for five straight minutes.
“Here's the deal. I'm doing the breakdown and analysis. It's very true,” Smith said. “Whether he and I have had any back-and-forth on this or not, I'm very honest about my analysis of him. Everything I've said, I stand by. It's just a fight game. He caught lightning in a bottle, but I'm not saying he's lucky, because he isn't.
“He's a legitimate threat, he's a legitimate danger. But because of the matchup and some of the circumstances, Jan Blachowicz, for example, is a much better mixed martial artist. I think he wasn't able to adapt to the altitude in Salt Lake City because he was gassed at that time and then was a little bit tired going in front of Alex. I couldn’t take it away. Let’s call it that.”
It wasn't Pereira's fault that Blachowicz gassed out in the first round. That's why Smith doesn't want to take the victory lightly, but he also can't ignore the facts of the situation.
Smith is in the same position and believes that had he been on Pereira's back for nearly five minutes left, the fight would have been over and there would have been no second round.
“I'm not blaming Alex for that. I think he's done a great job of staying safe,” Smith said. “I thought he showed a little improvement in his grappling. He carried a top-five light heavyweight on his back for almost five minutes. Will Magomed Ankalaev get past the first round in the same ranking? Probably a possibility Is it likely that you'll be eliminated in the first round if you keep it on your back for that long? Probably not. 100% of the time. If you hook it on the fence, you'll take home an extra $50,000. That's what's happening.
“That's what will happen if Magomed Ankalaev takes the same position. I can name five other light heavyweights who would take that position. [and finish]. Jan Blachowicz isn't necessarily known as a submission finisher. He's a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and is very good on the ground, but he's not a prolific finisher on the ground, and that's okay. I think Alex Pereira did a great job in that position and in the second and third rounds he did what he had to do even though he was very tired at the altitude to get the win. think. I have no objection to that. He beat a really tough guy. ”
Regarding Pereira's next two matches against Jiri Prochaska and Hill, Smith acknowledges that those matches did not present the same level of threat when it came to wrestling and grappling.
Hill is best known as a heavy-handed boxer, and Prochaska usually engages in wild, non-stop action fights to counter punches of his own. Playing a knockout artist like Pereira is a dangerous match.
“Jamahal Hill, there's no wrestling threat,” Smith said. “I'm not talking trash about Jamahal. It's not his game. It's a win-win matchup. It's 50/50 at best for both. If there's no threat of a takedown, someone will get a takedown. If you don't worry about shooting, the attack in the match will be completely different. Because he's irresponsible. He's too free, he's too open. He takes a lot of leg kicks.
“We just saw that against Aleksandar Rakić. Credit to Jiri. I think he did a great job. He was able to stay safe and make some big shots. I thought he did a great thing. But there were a lot of problems. He got beaten up with leg kicks, and the same thing happened to Pereira. It happened. He pushed Pereira very hard, but then he took no responsibility in a narrow situation and took a hard shot. Glover Teixeira also beat Jiri Prochaska quite a bit.
No matter the opponent or stylistic matchup, Pereira continues to find a way to win, and Smith believes he should be praised for that. Pereira may not like Smith pointing out her flaws and weaknesses, but she won't apologize for doing her job.
“He's had some fights, but I don't want to say favorable fights because that makes it sound like he's fooling people, which he's not,” Smith said. “He had some fights that really worked in his favor and some that didn’t go well. That’s fucking MMA. That’s the game. Sometimes things don’t go your way.
“Jake Ellenberger has been through a lot of really tough games and tough situations and sometimes the shitty chips have fallen in front of him and then they just don't fall. That's the way it is. At a certain point it doesn't last, and then it just doesn't fall. It's just a game. It happens to all of us.”
