Alex Pereira has a difficult championship test ahead of him and not everyone is convinced he’s locked in.
At UFC 313 on March 8, Pereira goes for the fourth consecutive defense of his light heavyweight title when he takes on Magomed Ankalaev in the evening’s main event. “Poatan” had an incredible 2024 campaign which saw him win three championship bouts in headlining spots and is currently one of the UFC’s most popular fighters.
Pereira has become one of the most in-demand combat sports athletes, which means plenty of opportunity to travel the world, whether it’s for leisure or, most recently, to corner Sean Strickland against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 in Australia.
All of that globe-trotting has analysts Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier concerned about where Pereira’s head is at as he prepares to fight Ankalaev in two weeks.
“It’s concerning to me,” Sonnen said on the Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast. “The whole thing is very concerning. One of the reasons I loved [former UFC heavyweight champion] Stipe [Miocic] as a fireman is Stipe was able to lock down, the UFC and everybody else respected that schedule so much that he slept in the same bed most times. He was eating the same food, training with the same people, having the same coaches. It’s tough on the road. You can get that training session in, but it usually involves a treadmill at the hotel lobby. Maybe you and your coach clear a little bit of space, even in your room, and you do a mitt workout. It’s not the same. Training is not the same.
“Meanwhile, you’ve got Ankalaev doing no media, no tours, and he’s locked down in the Caucasus region in the mountains. I think that it’s relevant.”
Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen question Alex Pereira’s ‘concerning’ pre-fight activity ahead of UFC 313
Analysts Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen are confused as to why UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira doesn’t seem fully focused on his next title defense.