It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the word ‘dodging’ has become a hot topic in the MMA community. This was further highlighted when UFC head honcho Dana White announced that UFC light heavyweight king Alex Pereira would face Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307, scheduled for October 5, instead of the highly anticipated contender Magomed Ankalaev. The controversy escalated after Pereira, following UFC Perth, disclosed his plan to move back to 185 pounds.

This prompted Ankalaev to label ‘Poatan’ as “weak,” accusing him of “picking on fighters from lower divisions.”  The ‘Russian Terror’s’ remarks sparked widespread reactions across the MMA world, with many fans wondering if Pereira would ever face his toughest challenge yet. The answer remained unclear until former fighter-turned-analyst Daniel Cormier weighed in with his thoughts

Daniel Cormier’s brutal reminder to Alex Pereira

In a recent episode of his podcast Good Guy/ Bad Guy on YouTube channel, Daniel Cormier, along with his co-host Chael Sonnen, discussed the future of Islam Makhachev‘s title defenses in the lightweight division, where he has already successfully defended his title three times. Cormier predicted that we would see more title defenses from Makhachev, emphasizing his fighting style, and claimed, “Islam is the guy that looks like he has a chance to hold the belt for a white because, stylistically.” Cormier’s thoughts were echoed by Sonnen, who nodded in agreement and said, ” I’m very light on that idea.”

However, Sonnen seemed inclined to believe that fans would not see many title defenses, as more fighters in the promotion would likely say goodbye to MMA due to weight-cutting issues just a day before the fight. This has already been observed with Alex Pereira, who struggled during and after the weigh-ins, leading Sonnen to express skepticism about more champions retiring before completing three or four title defenses.

Cormier then chimed in, reminding Sonnen why it would be hard to see more than three or four title defenses, referencing ‘Poatan’ and newly crowned bantamweight contender Belal Muhammad. He noted, “It’s very difficult because of the challenges waiting for these guys. Pereira will eventually have to fight Ankalaev, and Belal Muhammad may face Shavkat. It’s just that they have such great challenges ahead of them.”

Even Daniel Cormier reminded Alex Pereira that one of the biggest quests of his life is waiting for him in Magomed Ankalaev. However, ‘Poatan’ is not one to run away from challenges. This was highlighted back in July when he grew tired of ‘Russian Terror’s’ continued verbal jabs and issued a warning, vowing to knock him out in their potential fight.

Alex Pereira slammed Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Pereira, with his ability to knock out opponents and his immense fan following, has earned the title of “the face of the UFC” from critics. This was highlighted twice earlier this year when ‘Poatan’ stepped in on short notice to save UFC head honcho Dana White’s UFC 303 event after Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fell through, and now again as the headliner for the upcoming UFC 307 PPV. Due to his immense popularity, Pereira has taken the spotlight from Conor McGregor’s celebrity-like status, which is why everyone wants to fight him, including UFC heavyweight king Jon Jones, Magomed Ankalaev, and Dricus du Plessis.

This attention has made Pereira a target for primary rivals like Ankalaev, who has been making verbal jabs to set up a fight against him since the conclusion of UFC 303. Now fed up with the remarks, Alex Pereira asked ‘Russian Terror’ to stop self-promoting by trying to liken their fight. He made his stance clear, stating, “You guys saw a lot of people trying to self-promote, trying to belittle me, saying they would knock me out or finish me. But I’m training, evolving. I just started evolving now; that’s the difference. I was able to go toe-to-toe with just kickboxing. Now I’m evolving, so each fight is getting harder for them.”

What are your thoughts on Daniel Cormier’s remarks? Do you also believe that at some point, Alex Pereira will have to fight Magomed Ankalaev, or will this idea fade away now as ‘Poatan’ is already 37 years old and making steps towards the twilight of his career? Drop your opinion below.