“His Hands Are Down but…” Undefeated Boxer Ryan Garcia Reveals How Alex Pereira Would Keep Himself “Safe” During His First Title Defence at UFC 287

Ryan Garcia‘s admiration for UFC middleweight champ Alex Pereira is no secret for combat fans. The undefeated boxer had earlier talked about his admiration for the Brazilian and how amazed he was at Pereira‘s power, especially at his infamous left hook.

As we head into UFC 287, the 24-year-old has once again shared a snippet of his respect for the champ. Re-sharing a video that displayed the Brazilian’s boxing skills, Garcia expressed his appreciation of Pereira’s elite skills ahead of his fight against Israel Adesanya; who interestingly will be facing Pereira for the fourth time in his career, having lost all three of the previous encounters.

Ryan Garcia shares admiration for Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 287

The undefeated boxing star shared a short clip of the Brazilian on his Instagram story, where the champ was seen displaying his skills on the pads. As Pereira let his hands go on the mitts, Garcia pointed out an interesting detail in his stance and fighting style.

Describing that although Pereira’s hands were down, his ability to maintain distance was what kept him safe from the opponent. For the boxer, it came down to anticipation and spacing, which he believed were the Brazilian’s strengths.

“May think his hands are down but his awareness of spacing and anticipation is what keep him safe,” Garcia wrote on his IG story.

Considering that Garcia himself is a high-level boxer, his acute assessment of Pereira does come as a massive compliment for the UFC champ.

Garcia earlier talked about similarities between him and the Brazilian

For Ryan Garcia, his appreciation for ‘Poatan’ also stemmed from what he believed to be very similar traits in their fighting styles. Talking about the Brazilian’s infamous left hook, the 24-year-old had compared his technique to Pereira’s in an appearance on a popular podcast.

“I’ve never seen somebody throw a hook like me, but Pereira does throw a hook like me. He throws it where…you don’t use your legs too much. He just crack!” Garcia had claimed.

Boxing and MMA fans will also be quite familiar with his claims. Garcia is known to have stunningly fast hooks; which in a way does appear strikingly similar to Pereira’s hooks as well.

Read More: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira: How Have the Rivals Fared in the UFC and Kickboxing

For the UFC champ, the remarks from a boxing superstar like Garcia could surely serve as an extra dose of motivation before heading into the cage at UFC 287. Interestingly, on the same note, even Adesanya could find a way to finally solve the Pereira puzzle; i.e. if he takes into account the strengths of the Brazilian as laid out by the boxer.

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