On November 11, the former kickboxing champion knocked out at UFC 295 in New York.On November 11, the former kickboxing champion knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in New York.
‘Poatan’ won the vacant light heavyweight title after defeating his long-time rival, Israel Adesanya, in November 2022 to become the UFC middleweight champion.
Periera is only the ninth fighter in company history to win titles in two different weight classes, and he did it much faster than anyone else.
The 36-year-old only needed 11 MMA fights to reach the top of the sport.
Overeem, who fought in both kickboxing and MMA during his Hall of Fame career, understands how difficult it is to become a champion in Dana White’s league.
The 43-year-old held world titles in Strikeforce and DREAM but fell short of becoming the UFC’s best heavyweight fighter after a decade-long quest.
Surprisingly, he’s not overly impressed with Pereira’s MMA accomplishments since fully dedicating himself to the sport just three years ago.
“He’s interesting,” Overeem said to talkSPORT.
“Do I consider him a champion?” No.
“I think, at this moment, they have difficulty figuring him out, but the moment they figure him out they are going to destroy him and that will be a tough time for him.”
Pereira’s lack of ground skills, according to Overeem, will be exposed soon.
“I think he’s excellent in the striking apartment, but his jiu-jitsu and grappling aren’t there,” he added.
“He’s so strong in the striking department that other fighters can’t take him down.” He’ll have a difficult time striking once they figure him out.”
Following his victory at Madison Square Garden earlier this month, Pereira called out Adesanya, whom he has already fought four times in two sports.
‘The Last Stylebender’ is unlikely to be his next project.
Former 205lb champion Jamahal Hill is already hyping his rematch with Pereira after relinquishing his title due to an ACL injury in July.
Hill has promised to stand up with Pereira, so the two-weight champion appears to have a little more time to address the grappling issues that have Overeem doubting his championship credentials.
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