Zhilei Zhang believes in Alex Pereira.
Back in 2023, Zhang and Pereira made headlines when photos emerged of the two combat stars sharing a boxing ring together, in advance of their respective fights with Joe Joyce and Israel Adesanya.
What a sparring ! After 4 rounds with zhilei zhang Im very confident for my next fight ! It was a hard and dangerous sparring - exactly what I needed. Now I know even more- I’m ready for 8th of April! pic.twitter.com/1oKCLhbu6b
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) March 19, 2023
Speaking recently with The MMA Hour, Zhang explained exactly what happened that day and heaped praise on the UFC light heavyweight champion.
“We sparred once, for four rounds,” Zhang said through his translator. “That day I remember it was 12 rounds for me. I had two guys before Alex went in the ring, so we did four rounds. We both had a fight coming up and we didn’t have any footage or filming about the sparring.
“He’s a good boxer. I can tell you he has good reflexes, good speed, and good power. I watched his fights a lot in the UFC. He kind of dominates everybody standing.”
Pereira hails from a kickboxing background, winning the GLORY middleweight and light heavyweight titles before transitioning to MMA full-time in 2021. It’s been a good decision, as Pereira has already established himself as an all-time great in MMA in just three years, winning Fighter of the Year honors, headlining some of UFC’s biggest events, and becoming only the ninth fighter to win UFC belts in multiple weight classes.
This year, Pereira is the early favorite to win Fighter of the Year honors yet again as he’s already defended his light heavyweight title twice, knocking out Jamahal Hill in the first round at UFC 300 and then stepping in on short notice to knock out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. Pereira’s remarkable run has fans talking about the possibility that he might move up to heavyweight to become the first ever three-division champion in UFC history. And after once sparring session with him, Zhang believes Pereira can do it.
“I think he has it,” Zhang said. “He has the power to translate to heavyweight.”
Whether Pereira will get the chance this year remains to be seen. While “Poatan” says he intends to move up before his career is done, the light heavyweight champion also may be in line to defend his title once more in 2024.
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