According to UFC legend Jon Jones, Alex Pereira made a critical mistake when he fought Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250.
Pereira was finished in the second round via strikes as Gane became the new interim UFC heavyweight champion. In the wake of that fight, Pereira has been critical of referee Herb Dean, whom he felt did not punish Gane despite illegal strikes directed to the back of his head.
While that may be the case, according to Jones — arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time — Pereira made a critical mistake against Gane before he even stepped into the cage.
Alex Pereira Weighed Too Much at UFC Freedom 250, Says Jon Jones
Speaking in an interview with Red Corner MMA, Jones was asked to give his thoughts on the UFC White House main event.
According to Jones, who successfully made the move up to light heavyweight to heavyweight in his own UFC career, Pereira made a critical mistake when he came in at 251 lbs in his heavyweight debut. That sapped him of his speed in the fight against Gane, who was lighter at 248 lbs.
“I watched the fight for sure. I felt like Pereira, he came in too big. I think he would have been better off fighting around 230, 235 (lbs), keeping that speed. I feel like his power would have possibly translated over,” Jones said (via MMAjunkie.com).
Since the end of UFC Freedom 250, Gane has said that he will continue to fight at heavyweight going forward, as his days as a light heavyweight (and middleweight) are done.
Perhaps for his next bout, he will come in a bit lighter. It’s worth noting that Jones was 248 lbs when he fought Gane in his own UFC heavyweight debut, then 237.6 lbs when he fought Stipe Miocic in his second heavyweight bout, as he likely learned that being a big lighter was helpful. Let’s see if Pereira heeds the same advice.
Alex Pereira Waited Around Too Much
In addition to coming in too heavy, Jones also felt like Pereira did too much waiting around against Jones, as he was never able to really get his own game going, which ultimately cost him as Gane came out strong and hurt him badly with a jab, ultimately finishing him off with strikes.
“But in the fight, you just saw him, he was waiting. He was second-guessing things. He was questioning things. And that’s one of the worst things to do in a fight. It feels like a nightmare. When you’re out there in front of your opponent and you know the moves and you know that you should throw that punch or throw that kick or go for that takedown and you just don’t. You find yourself out there watching instead of doing, and I’ve had it happen to me many times in practice,” Jones said.
“I felt like that’s what happened to Alex. He never really got his ball rolling. Ciryl Gane came at him, southpaw stance, which also, I think, challenges Pereira. He was fast, he was powerful, he was unorthodox, and it was the perfect storm for Pereira. He didn’t survive it. I wish Alex all the best, though.”
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