Current light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will resort to wrestling in his next match at UFC 307. Well, this might surprise many out there, but John Wood(Khalil Rountree Jr.) coach feels the same. In a recent interview with ESPN, Wood seemed very confident with his claims and said, “I believe, honestly, my gut, I think Pereira shoots on Khalil,”

Pereira is famous for his ability to knock people out and rarely uses his wrestling skills in his fights. But why does John Wood feel he will change his game plan in such an important fight of his career? Let us take a look at what he had to say about the whole.

Alex Pereira will restore to wrestling because of this particular reason feels Coach Wood

Since making his debut in the UFC, Alex Pereira has defeated some elite fighters to become a two-division champion. His biggest strength is his ability to land powerful strikes, which was pretty evident in his last two fights at UFC 300 and UFC 303. Pereira decimated both Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka in the first and second rounds, respectively. So why does John Wood feel like the champion will resound to wrestling in his next fight?

One of the reasons might be his opponent’s records in his last five fights. Rountree Jr. has won the last four out of his five fights via knockout. The last time Pereira was knocked out was during his iconic rematch against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. It seems the Brazilian might just be reluctant to take him on, keeping in mind his power. To discuss all such outcomes, John Wood recently sat down to chat with Mike Owens of Inside Fighting. While speaking to Owens, coach Wood shared his honest opinion on the upcoming fight at UFC 307 and feels the fight is nothing short of a blockbuster.

The fire-power in the clash is second to none, with both fighters capable of knocking each other round in the first round. However, the only reason he feels Pereira will go for a takedown is because he has done that in the past. While speaking to Mike Owens, he said, “Listen, that got kind of taken out of context. I don’t think anybody is shooting in this fight. I really don’t. But I said if somebody does, there’s a track record, there’s proof Alex has shot in fights before. He has attempted takedowns. I don’t know if Khalil has ever done that, you know. I can’t think of anything in my mind you know that he’s ever shot a take downs.” 

Just for the record, Khalil Rountree Jr., while speaking to ‘The Schmo,’ made it clear that he has never attempted a takedown in his career. The 34-year-old also made it clear that he is prepared for a strike-fare against the Brazilian and is not willing to step back. But what game plan will the Brazilian walk into the fight with? Is he going to switch to wrestling in his next fight? Anthony Smith doesn’t quite feel so.

Anthony Smith shares his honest opinion on Alex Pereira’s game plan

Alex Pereira will be stepping into the Octagon on October 5 to defend his title for the third time in 2024. However, this time he will be having a completely different challenge in Khalil Rountree Jr. The 34-year-old has changed his fortunes in the division after getting suspended for four months after testing positive for a banned substance. He is now determined to win the title and many experts feel he might just cause an upset against Pereira.

Anthony Smith recently sat down to chat with Michael Bisping on his YouTube channel to discuss the fight. Smith, in his last fight, took on ‘The War Horse’ and rates him very high. However, he is confident that none of the fighters will go for takedowns in their upcoming fight. ‘Lionheart,’ while speaking to Bisping, said, “Well, Khalil’s definitely not shooting for sure. And I don’t think Alex is shooting. I don’t think so. I think he tried being a little bit sneaky with Izzy. Just because other than that one takedown on Izzy. Yeah, that’s it. He’s not shooting.” 

The predictions have started to flow in for the fight, and surprisingly, the challenger is the favorite. But who are you rooting for at UFC 307? Let us know your picks in the comments below.