The fight between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 has the entire world of combat sports on the edge of their seats. Both of the fighters have established themselves as strong strikers in the MMA promotion. But only one can emerge victorious. And in such times, even the smallest of flaws can topple a winning bout. 

As the date for Pereira’s third light heavyweight title defense etched closer, Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya sat down together to send a warning to the Brazilian champion. What exactly was the flaw in Pereira’s game? Let’s find out!

Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya warn Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 307

The beloved UFC color commentator and ‘The Last Stylebender’ had a long conversation on episode #164 of the JRE MMA Show. And within moments the conversations shifted to the main event for UFC 307. While most of the fighting community has faith in the man with the hands of stone, the JRE host decided to give ‘Poatan’ a reality check. 

Joe Rogan opined, “It’s gonna be interesting to see right away, how Khalil deals with the distance, and how Alex deals with the speed.” But there was a red flag waving around for the light heavyweight champion. Rogan continued, “The thing is like, Alex can be hit, you know. And Bruno Silva tagged him a few times. You [Adesanya] took him out. I think the 85 thing was the, I think the drain for him to make the 85 was insanity.” 

Needless to say, Adessanya knew how strong Pereira’s striking skills were. But one simply cannot underestimate Rountree. Weighing in on Rountree’s strength, Israel Adesanya said, “He’s just violent, like when he smells blood he just goes in. Like I said, he just beats you like you owe him money or something. He’s on you. Very violent. But again, I think Khalil, for him to win this fight, he just has to believe in himself. And that sounds real cheesy, but believe in himself.”

Alex Pereira is definitely not oblivious to the power that Khalil Rountree Jr. carries with him. During the pre-fight press conference, the Brazilian commended his opponent for his strength. However, there was a fighter who decided to send the greatest compliment to the ‘Poatan’.

Tom Aspinall compliments ‘Poatan’ before his fight with Khalil Rountree Jr.

A few days before UFC 307, the heavyweight interim champion, Tom Aspinall, broke down Pereira’s fighting style. After all, it was his kickboxing prowess that made him so dangerous in the Octagon. And the weapon that he loves to deploy is his powerful left hook.

Aspinall said, “Predominantly stands with his head Always quiet straight up in the air… Jabs the body. All this stuff what this is doing is this is taking the mind away from the massive left hook he has got… Because in my opinion, he has got one of the best if not the best-left hooks in MMA period. So, what he will do is he will hurt this (calf) he will hurt … But he will keep the range all the time he will never step into rapid range.”

The technical skills that Pereira has acquired from his Glory Kickboxing days helped him dominate the Octagon with ease. But keeping his shoulders down and chest open, he often exposes himself to hits. However, that’s a well-calculated risk. As soon as his opponents come close to exploiting the openings, he sends his hook. And once the hook connects, the fighters lose their balance and usually go down on the canvas.

But one of the major pitfalls in Pereira’s game is wrestling. The Brazilian has solely relied on his striking to climb up the ladder. Yet, ‘The War Horse’ refused to exploit this flaw and promised to stick to striking. He was indeed fighting to please the fight fans.

What are your thoughts on Pereira’s fighting style? Do you think he should be wary of Rountree? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.