Alex Pereira Hater Luke Rockhold Finally Eats Own Words After UFC 320 ‘Gangster’ Performance

At UFC 320, Alex Pereira successfully reclaimed his UFC light heavyweight title after defeating former champion Magomed Ankalaev. He entered the fight as a major betting underdog, but shocked everyone by finishing the Russian within just 80 seconds. With this dominant win, ‘Poatan’ silenced his critics, with a huge comeback, and impressed even his biggest haters.

In their previous encounter, Alex Pereira struggled against Ankalaev, unable to showcase his true striking potential, which led to his loss. Many analysts and fans believed the Russians’ superior wrestling skills would again trouble the Brazilian striker at UFC 320. 

However, Pereira ignored all predictions and ended the fight aggressively with a stunning TKO victory by unleashing devastating 12-6 elbows. After the dominant performance, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold admitted that his opinion of Pereira had completely changed recently.

I used to hate on Alex Pereira but (expletive) a gangster. It’s all about confidence. It’s all about balls. He has it. He (expletive) has it. I’m not gonna lie. I can’t hate on the (expletive) anymore. He’s one of the GOATs. He carries the same mindset every time. He doesn’t have a ground game, but the (expletive) got balls. No more hate. Alex, god bless, you’re a gangster. He’s one of the best champs of all time. Honestly, it’s impressive. 

Luke Rockhold via TMZ 

Rockhold once claimed that many UFC fighters could easily “maul” Pereira due to his perceived weaknesses in wrestling and grappling exchanges. He questioned Pereira’s overall MMA skill set, saying the Brazilian would likely lose to most wrestlers capable of exploiting his ground deficiencies. 

Despite constant criticism of his grappling, Pereira has silenced doubters repeatedly by defending takedowns and winning championship bouts. The reigning middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev, also believes his elite wrestling skills are more than enough to defeat Alex Pereira. 

After the Brazilian’s recent victory over Ankalaev, Chimaev publicly called out Pereira but was ultimately turned down. ‘Poatan’ explained that his main focus is moving up to heavyweight and potentially facing Jon Jones at the White House event.

Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones fight prediction 

Alex Pereira and Jon Jones have long expressed interest in facing each other, building anticipation for a massive potential superfight. However, those plans were derailed after Pereira suffered a disappointing title loss to Magomed Ankalaev, which temporarily halted the momentum.