Glover Teixeira confident UFC 307 headliner Alex Pereira can 'destroy the heavyweights'
Glover Teixeira thinks Alex Pereira’s power is unmatched.
Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his title against Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 307 main event in Salt Lake City.
Pereira has expressed his desire to drop back down to middleweight – where he once held the belt, to challenge champion Dricus Du Plessis. His coach and mentor Teixeira doesn’t put any limitations on what “Poatan” can do, and even sees him ruling the heavyweight division if he wanted to.
“To be honest, I’m confident that he can do anything he wants,” Teixeira told The Schmo. “He can fight at heavyweight and destroy the heavyweights there because the strength, the ability to read the opponents, and (go) in and out, and the power. He’s more powerful than any heavyweight I’ve trained with. Of course, any heavyweight, Tom Aspinall, Stipe (Miocic) (have) got KO power, as well. But Alex is way up there.”
Teixeira fought current heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 172 in April 2014. Although he fell short by unanimous decision, he says Jones’ power is nothing like Pereira’s.
“There’s no comparison,” Teixeira said. “I know Jon Jones is a great fighter. He’s a great martial artist as well. Just like Alex, he studies the guy. But power, there’s no comparison. Alex has different power – like George Foreman power. … Alex is different. Timing and the power is different. He has tremendous power. I never in my life sparred with a guy that hits as hard.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.