After Alex Pereira demolished Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 295, talks about Periera moving to heavyweight have garnered momentum. With Jon Jones as the heavyweight champion, the potential matchup excited fight fans, especially Joe Rogan, the UFC commentator.
‘Poatan’ was the middleweight champion, and if he won the heavyweight title, the Brazilian would become the GOAT of MMA. However, with ‘Bones’ as the heavyweight champion, Gilbert Burns is skeptical of his compatriot’s chances against the arguable UFC GOAT.
Burns Skeptical of Pereira’s Stylistic Matchup with Jones
Burns, the former UFC welterweight title challenger, is on a two-fight losing streak. The Brazilian will fight Sean Brady on September 7. The 37-year-old recently spoke with Morning Kombat, where ‘Durinho’ spoke of Alex Pereira’s chances of beating Jon Jones.
“That’s a very tough fight. I think Jon Jones is not going to play the game. Jon is too smart. I would love to see it, just so maybe this guy can go down in history as one of the greatest. But stylistically, I don’t like the matchup for Pereira. For sure, I would watch it, though,” said Burns.
Burns’ skepticism is due to Jones’s amazing MMA wrestling. Pereira has never faced a strong wrestler in the UFC. During the days of Jones and Daniel Cormier, wrestlers were the cream of the crop of the light heavyweight division. That is not the case today with Prochazka, Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, and Aleksandar Rakic. They are all powerful strikers with little to no wrestling.
Of the top five light heavyweights, only Magomed Ankalaev is as close as it comes to being a wrestler. Surprisingly, Ankalaev has promised a standup fight if he fights for the title. Having a credentialled kickboxing career, the Brazilian has the advantage in the standup. However, against Jones, he won’t have it. Moreover, Jones had already predicted he would submit Pereira.
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