Former champion Glover Teixeira says Alex Pereira has "got the championship mindset"

Glover Teixeira (L) and Alex Pereira (R) [ Images courtesy: @alexpoatanpereira on Instagram]
Glover Teixeira (L) and Alex Pereira (R) [ Images courtesy: @alexpoatanpereira on Instagram]

Glover Teixeira sees a tremendous amount of potential in his teammate Alex Pereira.

The former Glory double champion, who will compete Saturday night at UFC 276, is on quite the accelerated path towards UFC gold. Assuming that is Pereira's long-term goal, there are few better fighters to receive advice from than former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira.

In episode five of the UFC 276 Embedded vlog series, the two men were recorded grappling with one another while voiceovers from each warrior played.

Watch the video below:

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Based on the translated text captioned on the screen, Teixeira said:

"Training with Alex is on a higher level. He's got this different... He's got the champion mindset. We can notice the champion mindset in all aspects. The focus... discipline... eagerness... since he started."

The training arrangement between the two has been mutually beneficial, with Teixeira going on a run that culminated in him capturing gold. Pereira, on the other hand, is riding a five-fight winning streak and teetering on the precipice of garnering a UFC title shot at 185 pounds.

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There is a lot of hype around Pereira, and justifiably so. That being said, he will still have to face the toughest test yet of his mixed martial arts career in the coming days.


Alex Pereira's road to gold runs through UFC 276

Pereira is absent from the top fifteen, yet he is taking on the division's No.4-ranked contender this weekend. 'Poatan' looks to test his skills in a title eliminator against Sean Strickland.

The world middleweight championship will also be contested on the card. Israel Adesanya puts his hardware on the line against heavy-handed contender Jared Cannonier for what would be his fifth title defense.

Alex Pereira has previously bested Israel Adesanya twice in kickboxing. If both parties emerge victorious this weekend, a pseudo-rubber match could take place, although this would be their first mixed martial arts clash.

Pereira has an overall MMA record of 5-1 with a UFC record of 2-0. He previously bested Andreas Michailidis and Bruno Silva, so he will have the opportunity to go 3-0 in the company less than a year into his tenure.

Do you think Pereira's mindset will lead him to a UFC championship? Give us your thoughts in the comments!

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