Alex Pereira understands why he was booked to face Khail Rountree at UFC 307 rather than Magomed Ankalaev. According to the Brazilian, 'The War Horse' got the edge due to his fighting style and finish rate.
This weekend, 'Poatan' will defend his light heavyweight title against Rountree in the main event slot at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pereira is looking to defend his belt for the third time in a row, whereas Rountree will be competing for UFC gold for the first time.
The American currently sits at No. 8 in the 205-pound rankings and has been deemed worthy of a title shot after picking up five wins in a row, which includes four finishes and a victory over Anthony Smith.
The decision to book Pereira against Rountree has faced criticism, however, as there are many who feel Ankalaev is more deserving. The Russian fighter is ranked No. 2 in the division and is undefeated in his last 12 outings, even fighting out a controversial split draw with Jan Blachowicz for the title in 2022.
Weighing in on both ahead of facing Rountree, Pereira shared his take on why believes the American got the nod over the Dagestani star while chatting to Daniel Cormier. He said:
"The UFC presented this fight [against Rountree]. I cannot say I don't know why the UFC didn't put this guy [Ankaleev] in the fight because I do know. It's because he's boring. He puts on boring fights, so he's not the first pick of the UFC."
Catch Pereira's comments here (5:51):
Daniel Cormier has expressed concern for Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 307
Daniel Cormier has weighed in on Alex Pereira's upcoming UFC 307 title defense against Khail Rountree, believing the Brazilian could be on the brink of an upset.
Their light heavyweight clash takes place this weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, a location known to cause surprising results. Utah is famously remembered for Leon Edwards' stunning head kick KO win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, with many fans believing the shock upsets are due to affects of the high elevation.
Cormier shared his thoughts on the fight on a recent episode of his Funky and the Champ podcast, expressing a word of caution for Pereira amid Utah's reputation for title fight upsets:
"If there’s anything to be said about Salt Lake City, upsets happen. And it would seem that a guy who’s ranked No. 8 in the world taking on the champion is a blueprint for an upset because, in those moments, the champ [Pereira] may overlook him."
Catch Cormier's comments here (27:27):