Though not at the level of Conor McGregor, Alex Pereira transcended the sport of MMA. The recently turned 37-year-old received encouragement from Anthony Joshua to box, sparking mixed response from the MMA community.
Pereira had already become a two-division champion in Kickboxing and MMA. Will he become a three-sport combat sports champion at the highest level? Magomed Ankalaev and now Sean O’Malley have expressed their views.
Pereira’s Left Hand a Threat, But Chin Exposed
After Pereira and Joshua’s interaction over X, Magomed Ankalev, who is potentially next for the Brazilian, made scathing remarks. The interaction garnered attention, and Sean O’Malley discussed it on his podcast, TimboSugar Show.
“I just think Pereira’s style doesn’t necessarily translate super well into boxing. He does a lot of things wrong. He has that nuke in his left hand, but it’s just like, dude, he floats his chin a lot,” said O’Malley, admitting he would nonetheless watch if Pereira stepped inside the squared circle.
O’Malley’s sentiment is credible. For context, MMA fighters have not fared well inside the boxing ring. Francis Ngannou’s boxing debut against Tyson Fury was impressive, but many attribute it to Fury underestimating Ngannou.
Moreover, in his second boxing fight, Ngannou lost to Anthony Joshua via brutal right-hand knockout. Furthermore, Floyd Mayweather gave a boxing clinic on the high-profile crossover bout with Conor McGregor.
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Ironically, Sean O’Malley had angled for crossover boxing bouts against Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis. However, unlike Pereira, O’Malley has been defensively sound in the striking department, evidenced by his fight against Marlon Vera at UFC 299.
As for Pereira, Magomed Ankalaev is likely next for the light heavyweight champion. Anthony Joshua has a fight against Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title. Rumors speculate O’Malley would headline UFC 306 against Merab Dvalishvili, though not officially announced by UFC.
Also Read: Anthony Joshua’s Advice for Alex Pereira Sparks Heated Debate With Magomed Ankalaev
