“Man, ‘Poatan’ is truly unique when it comes to striking, especially with how he reads the game and sets things up,” UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush remarked about Alex Pereira last year. Since his UFC debut, the 205lbs god-king has collected ‘scalps’ with concussive striking power. Pereira’s 2024 campaign in the UFC has been one for the history books. The Brazilian juggernaut appeared on several lackluster cards but carried them single-handedly with the power of his mystique.

With 7 knockouts in his last 10 UFC bouts, including 4 consecutive finishes, Pereira has cemented his position as a powerhouse in the promotion and the 205 lbs division. His performances have earned him widespread respect and admiration from some of MMA’s biggest names. Now, also joining his fanbase is rising middleweight contender and Khamzat Chimaev’s former training partner at Xtreme Couture, Caio Borralho.

After sparring with Pereira, ‘The Natural’ reflected on the experience during a Submission Radio interview, stating, “Alex is one of the best in the world. I’ve learned so much from him about positioning—how to place your arms, your stance, and how to approach different situations. Alex is a true student of the game. He has an incredible depth of knowledge.” He went on to describe the Brazilian’s concussive power and said, “You know, he touches people, and people die.”

Borralho had recently floated his name to face Alex Pereira’s former rival Israel Adesanya. With the 1-1 record between the Brazilian and Adesanya, who better than Pereira himself to train ‘The Natural’ for such a high-stakes potential matchup? There is already talk of the Brazilian’s fourth title defense, potentially set during Ramadan.

As we look ahead, Pereira could soon be dismantling contenders in the heavyweight division. Despite his success at 205lbs, the Brazilian’s desire to claim a third-division belt says a lot about his hunger to succeed. But what if the Brazilian had decided to drop down to 185lbs once again? Let’s see!

Caio Borralho predicts a potential Alex Pereira vs. Dricus Du Plessis fight

After

Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his title against former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Australia, Pereira, who watched Adesanya’s defeat on TV, made a bold announcement: “I want to go down one more time to middleweight and go for the belt.” This declaration sent shockwaves through the divisions, especially considering ‘Poatan’ had previously left middleweight due to weight-cut struggles.

However, after creating a stir, Pereira eventually abandoned the idea, citing his close friendship with former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who is now his sparring partner. ‘Tarzan’ has his sights set on Du Plessis, which ultimately led the Brazilian to close the door on his middleweight ambitions.

While the prospect of Alex Pereira vs. Dricus Du Plessis fight remains an intriguing mystery, Caio Borralho has weighed in with his prediction. On the Submission Radio podcast, ‘The Natural’ stated, “I think he can beat DDP easily. I think very easily he can beat DDP. Khamzat (Chimaev) is a different story because of the grappling, but ‘Poatan’ is definitely improving at defending takedowns. He’s a big guy, a very big guy. It would be hard for Khamzat to keep him down.”

What do you think of Caio Borralho’s comments on Alex Pereira? If he were to face his latest potential nightmare, Magomed Ankalaev—whom many analysts believe poses a real challenge for Pereira—how do you see that matchup playing out? Share your prediction below.