Liston! Foreman! Tyson! This is why expert compares Pereira to the biggest in boxing

Alex Pereira is the UFC light heavyweight champion. Photo via YouTube

Legendary boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas is impressed by Saturday’s instant-classic knockout by Alex Pereira. The Brazilian star’s ability to put fear in an opponent before the fight starts makes Atlas think of the biggest and baddest legends of boxing.

“When you get these kinds of results behind it. When a guy can go into your soul, it’s like he’s looking right through. There was Sonny Liston, there was George Foreman, there was somebody named Mike Tyson — it worked for them.”

“It helps deteriorate the guy. That’s what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to break a guy down. So when you get in there, what are you doing? You’re trying to physically break a guy down. But before it starts, you’re mentally trying to break them down. That’s where he has the head start on everybody.”

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Alex Pereira started pro MMA late

Pereira made his UFC debut on November 6, 2021, and won the title just one year later. A title has been on the line in five of his nine bouts in the UFC. Everyone but one of his opponents has been a former, reigning or future UFC champ.

Before starting his MMA career, he was a Glory middleweight and light heavyweight champion, and is the first and only fighter to have held Glory titles in two weight classes simultaneously.

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