Alex Pereira's coach and mentor Glover Teixeira believes the Brazilian is the UFC’s best boxer. According to him, while Ilia Topuria has displayed crisp hands and deadly combinations in his fights, Pereira operates on another level.
According to Teixeira, Pereira's vision inside the octagon separates him from the rest. He doesn’t waste energy and doesn’t throw blind shots. Teixeira claims that Pereira sees everything and knows what’s going to miss before it’s even thrown.
Speaking about Pereira's boxing in a recent episode of The Coach And The Casual, Teixeira said:
"Alex... Just because the power, the way he hits. Those guys, they [are] great punchers, you know, like Topuria, he has incredible combination... I feel like he’s a great boxer, don’t get me wrong. [But] you can see Alex, the movement that he makes is almost like Mayweather... You see, sometimes Mayweather, like if you jab him, he [doesn't] even move because he knows that jab is not going to hit him. The range is perfect. Alex does those kinds of things... I just feel like Alex’s IQ for visual strategy is better."
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He added:
"Philippi, he is Alex’s Muay Thai coach... When he started training with Alex, and he was like, ‘Bro, I used to train with Alex by myself. Sometimes we go and we go in a gym, nobody there, like, let’s do some rounds.’ And he never tried to hurt me. He hit me and he taught me all the time because he’s very good with timing, but would never try to hurt me.”
Check out Glover Teixeira's comments below (26:30):
Alexander Volkanovski wants fellow fighters to learn from Alex Pereira
Alexander Volkanovski has urged his fellow fighters to take control of their image outside the cage. Amid concerns over MMA’s future and alleged lack of star power, he sees personal branding as the way forward.
Volkanovski pointed to Alex Pereira's career as the blueprint. The former UFC light heavyweight champ doesn't speak English, but his stoic presence, mystique, and fighting style have helped him build a global fanbase.
Speaking in a recent interview on FREESTYLEBENDER, Volkanovski said:
"If you’re going out there and you’re starching blokes, you don’t need to say a word. I mean, look at his [Alex Pereira’s] thing. It’s weird. He doesn’t say much, but there’s a lot of character behind it. You know, the Chama-vibe. He’s made not having any emotion his character."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (7:10):