Luke Rockhold: "I can’t hate on him anymore" - Luke Rockhold confesses change of heart on Alex Pereira post UFC 320

Luke Rockhold recently shared his thoughts on Alex Pereira, expressing a change of heart towards the fighter and praising his status as a UFC champion.

'Poatan' is coming off a victory over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, where he reclaimed the light heavyweight title, making him a two-time champion in that division. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Rockhold was asked to provide his insights on Pereira's win against Ankalaev.

In response, the former UFC fighter said:

"Man, like I used to hate on Alex Pereira, but motherf***er is a gangster. It's all about confidence. This is all about balls. It's like he has it. He f**king has it. I'm not gonna lie. I can't hate on him anymore. He's one of the GOATs because he carries the same mindset every f**king time."

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He added:

"You know, like he don't have the ground game but [he's] got balls. No more hate, Alex. You're a gangster. You're the one. He's one of the best champions of all time. Honestly, it's like impressive."

Check out Luke Rockhold's comments below (0:27):

When Luke Rockhold dismissed Alex Pereira's chances against elite UFC middleweights

Alex Pereira made his UFC debut in the middleweight division and, following a three-fight winning streak, earned an opportunity to compete for the middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. Ahead of the scheduled bout, Luke Rockhold shared his thoughts on Pereira's chances in the middleweight division.

Speaking in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Rockhold said:

"If he [Adesanya] doesn't have the title [following UFC 281], they might as well just give me the title because that Brazilian has no chance against the likes of me. Come on, dude, that guy's like Bambi out there, you know what I mean? They've groomed this kid, and they put him up there... That guy is like a deer in the headlights... He's a killer for sure on the feet, but in MMA against the right people, which are a lot of people, that guy loses to the majority of middleweights. He loses to the majority." [6:02 seconds into the intervide]

About the author

A budding sports management professional, Nilaav Gogoi covers MMA at Sportskeeda. His entry into sports journalism began with stints at Sportszion and First Sportz. Nilaav strives to understand the captivating stories surrounding MMA and its various technical aspects. He is dedicated to providing his audience with accurate and well-authored content while ensuring the information remains reliable.

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