Watching Alex Pereira following in his mentors’ footsteps to find the same world championship success has been one of the ‘feel good’ stories of the past few years; and according to Glover Teixeira, that story is far from being finished.
As Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira prepares for his third title fight of 2024, former light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira explains that should the Brazilian superstar opt to move up once again next year, it’ll be ‘no problem’ for the ex-185lb and current 205lb king.
It’ll be ‘no problem’ for Alex Pereira to move to heavyweight
Speaking to RG.org, Teixeira explained that even as Alex Pereira signed on the dotted line to join the UFC roster, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before ‘Poatan’ became a world champion in the promotion.
“I said to people that he was going to be a champion within one year in the UFC because of his athletic ability, his strength, and how coachable he is; he’s a guy that will listen, and he doesn’t have an ego… I was very right about that.”
Yet even as the pair started strolling down their shared path to UFC gold and glory, the combat sports veteran understood Pereira would gain more and more weight as he transitioned from training purely kickboxing to Mixed Martial Arts.
“We talked about it since the beginning – I said to him, ‘You’re going to get bigger because of the wrestling training, and eventually you’re going to have to move up [to light heavyweight].’ That’s a lot of weight [to cut to 185lbs], and he didn’t have that much to lose [as] he’s very lean.”
Should Alex Pereira continue to run through the light heavyweight division and defeat Khalil Rountree Jr at UFC 307 in October, there’ll likely be more calls for the Brazilian superstar to try his hand at moving up once again, this time to heavyweight.
“I think I feel comfortable now with 205 [pounds], happy with the weight cuts,” noted Teixeira, before acknowledging that Pereira could find similar title success in a third division.
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“But also, I’ll be happy if he moves up – I think he has the potential to beat anyone at heavyweight… The guy is a beast, man. His strength is like a heavyweight; he hits like a heavyweight. So, it’ll be no problem.”
Teixeira explains what his coaching dynamic with Alex Pereira is like
Never one to overlook someone as dangerous as Rountree, Glover Teixeira also offered a quick insight into how training camp is going ahead of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“We prepare for everything… Rountree is a good fighter. We know who he is; [he’s a] tough kid, very good striker… It’s not much different than the other fights to be honest, because anything can happen… So it’s pretty much the same training for Jamahal Hill or for Jiri Prochazka.”
When asked about the dynamic of being simultaneously both a coach and a friend to Pereira, the fan-favorite veteran explained how it all was just “very natural” and that he didn’t have to think about how it could impact their bond.
“I don’t have a choice to think about it, you know? I was already a coach. It’s never, ‘Oh s***, I have to coach Alex, the biggest star in the UFC right now.’ We’re just like two dudes over here training.
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“I understand a lot of his background and the same stupid jokes. So we’d say something we used to say when we were kids or something, and it’d always just bring up some memories. Right away we connected.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a few friends training in the garage, having fun, doing the right thing and conquering the world.”
As aptly noted by RG.org reporter Erik Uebelacker, ‘Despite his recent success, Teixeira still doesn’t take it all too seriously’ as he stated: “Sometimes, I coach with a beer in my hand.”
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