Since UFC head honcho Dana White announced the highly anticipated UFC 307 headliner bout between reigning light heavyweight king Alex Pereira and ‘Nak Muay’ Khalil Rountree Jr., the MMA community has divided into two camps: those who support this matchup and those who oppose it. Some label ‘Poatan’ as the UFC’s “golden goose,” claiming White deliberately ignored the most viable opponent for Pereira, wrestler Magomed Ankalaev, who could prove to be his “kryptonite.”

This sentiment was recently echoed by the UFC’s newly crowned welterweight king, Belal Muhammad, during a conversation with Helen Yee on YouTube. When Helen turned the discussion to tomorrow’s biggest matchup, asking Muhammad how Rountree Jr. could secure a win against an acclaimed striker in Pereira, Muhammad took a moment to think before stating, “I would do it if I were coaching Khalil. Um, but if I’m Khalil, his path to victory is wrestling.”

Will ‘The War Horse’ try wrestling against Pereira? Well, that’s a big “no” from Rountree’s side. According to his coach, John Wood, Rountree will rely on his striking and Muay Thai rather than takedowns. Muhammad reinforced this stance, adding, “I know he doesn’t want to wrestle, but you can’t strike with Pereira—nobody can. Pereira showed that the only person who matched him in striking was Adesanya, and it took him five tries to finally catch him.”

However, this isn’t the first time someone has pointed out Pereira’s weakness. A few weeks ago, Pereira’s arch-nemesis, Jamahal Hill, hinted at this path to victory for Rountree Jr. on his YouTube channel.

Jamahal Hill exposes Alex Pereira’s weakness ahead of UFC 307

Alex Pereira, in his short journey in the UFC, has achieved the status of a superstar, a place that only a few fighters like Conor McGregor have reached. In this brief span, Pereira has put every contender to sleep who has stood in his way, with some fighters like Israel Adesanya moving on without holding any ill will. However, others, like Jamahal Hill, still hold a grudge against Pereira due to his brutal knockout victory over Hill at the historic UFC 300, which became a part of pop culture.

Whenever the former light heavyweight champion gets the chance, he never shies away from roasting Pereira. Last week, on his YouTube channel, he pointed out his weaknesses, claiming, “The things that Khalil has going for him is he’s a southpaw. And he has valuable threats from Southpaw. If you look at even [Pereira’s] kickboxing career and all that, southpaws are a stance that gives him trouble. Can he beat southpaws? Yes. But I haven’t seen him dominate a southpaw that has multiple threats from that stance.”

What are your thoughts on Belal Muhammad’s remarks? Despite ‘Poatan’ never having fought a wrestler, does that mean he can’t defeat one? Whom will you be rooting for in the upcoming showdown—Alex Pereira or Khalil Rountree Jr.? Drop your opinion below.