Alex Pereira has an enemy, and he’s not even from the same promotion. No, Israel Adesanya hasn’t left the UFC, it’s a whole different fighter. The light heavyweight champion of Bellator has his eyes out for Pereira and does to believe that ‘Poatan’ is champion material.

Alex Pereira attained the light heavyweight title after taking down Jiri Prochazka very recently. He became the champion via knockout, making him a multi-divisional champion in the UFC. However, will he be able to shrug off the accusations put on him by this fighter? For the fans, ‘Poatan’ will always be the better one.

Alex Pereira gets the heat from Bellator champ

Vadim Nemkov is a name that might ring familiar to fans of Bellator. The champion has a stronghold on his title and yet he does not believe Pereira deserves his own. So who’s his pick? Well, for Nemkov the ideal and strongest candidate is none other than Magomed Ankalaev.

“Alex Pereira is not on the champion’s level,” he said in a recent conversation. “He can’t wrestle. He can barely stay on his feet. Prochazka took him down with ease and Jiri is not a great wrestler. If Magomed Ankalaev gets a shot at the title he will control Pereira from round 1 to round 5.”

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Pereira comes from a brutal kickboxing background. So, his striking is his deadliest weapon. In an arsenal of un-projected calf kicks, Pereira shines when his punches land on the chin. But is his wrestling weak? Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time someone’s pointed it out.

Bellator LHW Champion Vadim Nemkov: Alex Pereira is not on the champion’s level
byu/Paradox503 inMMA

Truth is, Pereira does lag behind a bit when it comes to wrestling. Prochazka tried to take him down with his skills, but to no avail. ‘Poatan’ and his amazing footwork, thanks to his kickboxing days, reigned supreme. So the question here really is, will the same work against Ankalaev? Here’s what fans thought.

Fans root for Pereira all the way

Alex Pereira is a fan favorite. There’s no doubt about that. The stone faced emoji has become synonymous with the fighter’s goofy persona that only shines outside of the Octagon. However, fans still hold a firm belief that his striking will do all the damage in a match against Ankalaev.

“This just in, Alex’ opponents wouldve won if they didnt lose” Other fans wanted to remind Nemkov of the greatness of Pereira. “Oh brother you shouldn’t have provided locker room material to a literal monument” “4 leg kicks from Pereira and Ankalaev won’t be able to stand.”

In their Rizin days, Prochazka and Nemkov had gone toe-to-toe. And it didn’t turn out well for the latter. “But he did beat Jiri who Nemkov lost to” “Nemkov couldn’t finish Jiri on the ground and thus struggled. And Jiri couldn’t finish Pereira on the ground and thus struggled. I’m not rly sure that tells us anything about Nemkov v Pereira or Ankalaev v Pereira.”

Also Read: Alex Pereira Reveals Mindset Before Facing Experienced Israel Adesanya in MMA Fight

Meanwhile, some fans had a clear answer to the accusations. “Poatan beat 4 UFC champs, end of discussion.” Finally, someone mashed up a Mike Tyson quote for ‘Poatan’ and his style. “Pereira is the very definition of “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”

Clearly, fans are mostly siding with Alex pereira on this one. A fantastic striker with unmatched prowess in the area. However, can the brilliant wrestler in Magomed Ankalaev really take Pereira down? Perhaps we’ll never get to know unless the UFC gives us a worthy matchup involving the two. Who do you side with in this battle? Let us know in the comments.

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