Is Alex Pereira risking his own fight performance against Magomed Ankalaev by cornering Sean Strickland at UFC 312? For the unversed, Strickland is looking to get the middleweight title back, but to do so, he must unravel the mystery that is Dricus Du Plessis in a highly anticipated rematch. Knowing the challenge ahead, ‘Tarzan’ needs all the help he can get—and thankfully, the 205lbs god-king has sacrificed part of his own training to assist him.
But is this sacrifice worth it? ‘Poatan’ is part of Strickland’s corner team for UFC 312 in Australia, and despite the Brazilian agreeing to help his former rival, Pereira’s decision has been questioned by UFC veteran Josh Thomson. Taking to his Weighing In podcast, the former 155lbs contender raised doubts about whether it was a smart move for Pereira to travel to Australia when he himself has a title bout to prepare for at the very next PPV.
He explained, “For Poatan I think with him it’s that he never stops training. He’s never not training. It seemed like no matter where he goes and what he does. He steps into a room. If he is in Australia he’ll go train somewhere over there. He may fly to New Zealand and get some work in with the City Kickboxing guys. Alex has probably got a ton of fighters over there. He can get some work in. It all also depends on how close were the fights.”
Although Thomson acknowledged that Pereira always finds ways to train, he emphasized the importance of the final weeks of preparation. “It’s next week so they are already gone. So, they are probably already in Australia. A month apart [from UFC 313]. I mean, I think it’s right in that threshold. I think I probably wouldn’t have traveled either if it was in that month threshold. You are kind of interfering with the last four weeks of camp.”
Even Daniel Cormier has weighed in on the situation, expressing concerns over Pereira’s last-minute travel ahead of his title showdown. With just one month left until UFC 313 on March 8, where Pereira will defend his 205lbs title against Magomed Ankalaev, Cormier shares similar worries about the timing of Pereira’s decision to help Strickland in his own fight camp. Interestingly, Dricus Du Plessis, Strickland’s upcoming opponent, has also commented on the situation, adding his perspective to the conversation.
Dricus Du Plessis weighs in on Sean Strickland’s UFC 312 situation
During a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Dricus Du Plessis was asked what he made of Alex Pereira being in Sean Strickland’s corner ahead of their UFC 312 bout. The current middleweight champ couldn’t help but laugh, then gave his thoughts on the arrangement: “He [Alex Pereira] was in the corner [of Sean Strickland] in the first fight too. I mean, they don’t even speak the same language, it doesn’t really make much of a difference whether he’s in the corner or not. Strickland can barely understand his own coach, and he’s also American, how’s he going to understand Alex Pereira?”
The South African brings up a valid point. Despite being an accomplished fighter, Pereira still struggles with English even after a decade in the UFC. This means his advice will likely come more through actions than words. In a sport where communication is key, especially in the heat of the moment in a fight, the language barrier could present a challenge.
However, Pereira and Strickland became good friends after their UFC 276 encounter, and their bond may have created a unique understanding between them that transcends words. Moreover, the Brazilian also helped Strickland train for his title shot against Israel Adesanya, which ‘Tarzan’ surprisingly won.
So, the question remains: Did Pereira make the right decision in sacrificing his own training to corner Strickland? Will the language barrier affect their communication, or will their friendship make all the difference? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The post “You’re Interfering” – Alex Pereira Gets a Hard Hitting Reminder on Cornering Sean Strickland for UFC 312 Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.