Pereira Dropped by 13-11 Fighter
Fans are revisiting a viral clip of Alex Pereira getting dropped by a 13-11 record fighter, fueling debates on his vulnerabilities. Ongoing threads critique fighters like those who faced Max Holloway, with discussions noting close decisions like Ankalaev outstriking Alex.
The discussion around Alex Pereira's chin often surfaces when footage from his extensive kickboxing and MMA career is reviewed. Before his UFC fame, Pereira competed in 40 kickboxing matches, winning 33, with notable knockout losses that fans point to as early signs of his susceptibility to being hit. His professional MMA debut in 2015 also ended in a submission loss, a different but noted vulnerability. The close decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, mentioned in fan debates, was a tactical affair where Pereira was out-struck despite successfully defending all 12 of Ankalaev's takedown attempts. Pereira landed a record-low 11 head strikes in that five-round title fight. After the loss, it was reported that Pereira was battling a broken hand and norovirus, with Pereira himself stating he was at just 40% capacity. Pereira later avenged this loss in a rematch at UFC 320, reclaiming his light heavyweight title via a first-round knockout of Ankalaev. This victory reasserted his powerful striking, but the first fight remains a key reference for analysts discussing how to defeat him through strategy and volume striking rather than pure power. Discussions critiquing the opponents of fighters like Max Holloway often focus on their inability to match his pace and withstand his volume striking. A notable example is Holloway's 2015 victory over Charles Oliveira, where Oliveira cited an esophagus injury for the first-round TKO loss, a claim Holloway has publicly disputed years later. This adds to a narrative that some opponents have struggled to accept the nature of their defeats to 'Blessed'.
