Alex Pereira believes Khalil Rountree Jr. will "feel the pressure" of a main event title fight at UFC 307: "I've been here many times"

For UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, language has never stood as the barrier to expressing his authentic self and dispatching cold statements ahead of high-profile fights. The Brazilian delivered yet another strong statement at the UFC 307 ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of his fight against Khalil Rountree Jr.

Sporting tribal paint on his face and donning the indigenous headdress of the Pataxo tribe, Pereira claimed that Rountree would “feel the pressure” on fight night. According to Pereira, Rountree has never experienced the pressure of a championship fight, while 'Poatan' has already competed in five championship fights in the UFC.

Speaking to Joe Rogan at the ceremonial weigh-ins, Pereira said:

"He’s a really dangerous guy, he’s coming here to win but the difference is I’ve been here many times, he’s been here [for] the first time. Tomorrow he’s gonna feel the pressure.”

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below:

Check out the full ceremonial weigh-in video below:

Pereira will take on Rountree in the main event of UFC 307 in a bid to make the third defense of his 205-pound strap. The Brazilian defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 to lay hands on the UFC middleweight championship. However, his reign in the 185-pound division was short-lived after Adesanya avenged the loss with an emphatic knockout victory at UFC 287.

'Poatan' transitioned to the weight class above and defeated Jan Błachowicz via a split decision to announce his arrival in the division. Since then, he has been on a tear, rattling off three straight finishes against stiff competition.

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Israel Adesanya claims "juju" surrounding Alex Pereira is "real"

Ahead of his rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 303, Jiri Prochazka made a strong statement, suggesting that the Brazilian leverages "voodoo" and "magic" to secure victories in the octagon. Former rival Israel Adesanya has added fuel to the notion by supporting these claims that there is a “juju” surrounding Pereira.

Adesanya, who has faced Pereira multiple times, echoed Prochazka's sentiment during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience. Adesanya acknowledged the aura surrounding Pereira, attributing his resilience to some spiritual backing. He said:

"You know what Jiri said about the whole juju thing, that’s real, that’s real."

Adesanya added:

"It’s his spirit, it’s whatever his ancestors or his people that are praying for him because I have prayer warriors as well. My Mom and Dad [would] be fastening and they have people in the spirit [world] praying for me. But the way he carries himself, something about him just, he knows how to recover well."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (15:00):