Despite Alex Pereira’s recent loss at UFC 313, Chael Sonnen remains optimistic about his potential to challenge Jon Jones in the future.
Pereira lost the UFC light heavyweight championship to Magomed Ankalaev via unanimous decision in Las Vegas, a defeat that derailed previous speculation about a potential heavyweight showdown with Jones.
While a Jones vs. Pereira superfight is no longer on the horizon, Sonnen believes Pereira’s performance at UFC 313 addressed a major criticism. —his wrestling defense.
Pereira successfully defended all 12 of Ankalaev’s takedown attempts, showcasing significant improvement in his ground game.
“You don’t get very far when you start talking about Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones,” Sonnen said. “You just don’t get there because we know that Jon can throw him down and beat him up. Like, that’s just something that Jon does so well. He can throw people down and then beat them up.
“Well, you go watch this fight, and you go, ‘Hey, you know what? It turns out that old Alex Pereira isn’t so easy to take down.’ Alex Pereira really showed some stuff. That entire narrative that he can’t wrestle and he can’t defend is now gone. Ankalaev revealed his plan, and that was to take him down—his plan failed.”
Though the loss was a setback, Sonnen suggests that Pereira’s defensive improvements could still make him a compelling future contender.
