Brendan Schaub claimed UFC will protect Alex Pereira from tough matchups.
This past Saturday, Pereira faced former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. Pereira faced intense competition from Adesanya, who rocked him early in the bout at the end of the first round. He recovered quickly and earned a fifth-round TKO finish over Adesanya with a vicious flurry of punches.
Following the result, some fans and fighters voiced their concerns about Pereira’s likely reign as the 185-pound king due to the perceived lack of his grappling abilities.
Brendan Schaub says UFC will save Alex Pereira from the top 5 contenders
In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub shared his thoughts on Pereira becoming the new middleweight champion.
“I’m not taking anything away from Alex, but I don’t think he beats a single guy in the top five. Robert Whittaker, after he saw Izzy and Pereira’s grappling and the wrestling, I’m sure every guy in the top five is like, ‘Dear God! Please give me that guy.’ For those guys that can actually wrestle and have not just one takedown but an arsenal, and have chain wrestling and they have jiu-jitsu higher than a blue belt, they’re foaming at the d*ck to get their hands on Pereira.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_BMi6M5kD/
Schaub backed Khamzat Chimaev to ‘beat the sh*t’ out of Pereira
According to Schaub, top-ranked welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev, who has fought at middleweight, will easily defeat ‘Poatan’ in a potential showdown.
“UFC knows this, and they are going to protect him. Khamzat tweeted out, ‘I’ll fight at 185 pounds, I’ll be your champ!’ Now, if UFC wanted Khamzat to be a superstar at 170 and 185, your next fight is going to be Khamzat vs. Alex Pereira.
“Khamzat beats the sh*t out of him. Khamzat mops the floor. Again, I’m not taking anything away from Alex, it’s all about matchups and styles and that’s a complete nightmare for him.
Company president Dana White indicated an immediate title rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya was not out of the question. Meanwhile, former champion Robert Whittaker will need to go through Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in Feb to clear his way for a title shot.
