‘Michael Jordan himself tried’: UFC veteran hails Alex Pereira as a two-Sport king
Off the back of another stunning knockout win at UFC 307 over the course of the weekend, Alex Pereira has eclipsed basketball icon, former Chicago Bulls star, Michael Jordan as a “two-sport king” according to former Octagon challenger, Chael Sonnen.
Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion, turned in his third consecutive successful defense of the light heavyweight throne in just seven months at UFC 307 over the course of last weekend, stopping challenger, Khalil Rountree with a fourth round knockout win.
Adding the Syndicate MMA staple to a run at 205lbs as champion which includes a pair of knockout wins over Jiri Prochazka and his fellow former titleholder, Jamahal Hill, Sao Paulo star, Alex Pereira revealed plans to take somewhat of a break away from the Octagon amid his active run as of late.
“Thank you so much for all the support from my fans last night, all that love just makes me always train hard and perform my best to always bring a show for all of you, this year I did 3 fights and ended with 3 wins, with the end of my last fight I feel that was somehow the end of a cycle,” Alex Pereira posted on his official Instagram account. “The talk and love that @danawhite show to me and my team after my fight makes me excited to the future will bring for me in the @ufc.”
Alex Pereira labelled “two-sport king” after UFC 307 knockout win
However, amid his legacy already paved in both mixed martial arts and professional kickboxing, according to the above-mentioned, Sonnen, Brazilian fan-favorite, Pereira has already minted himself as a duel-sport icon.
“We’ve see great athletes try to switch (sports), Michael Jordan himself tried to switch sports and came over to baseball,” Chael Sonnen said on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast. “(Alex) Pereira switching from kickboxing to MMA as much as people love to go, ‘Ah, shucks, they’re the same thing.’ No, they’re not. They’re so vastly and widely different, he is literally a two-sport athlete and he did it at 34 years old.”
