"He was the expert and we were the students" - Chael Sonnen praises Alex Pereira's UFC feats by saying nothing he does makes sense

Alex Pereira switched to MMA after a successful professional kickboxing career. He joined the UFC in 2021 and has witnessed monumental success in the company.

Recently, Chael Sonnen praised Pereira for his accolades in the promotion despite an absence of wrestling from his fighting style. 'Poatan's' kickboxing background is evident in his fights.

He employs a striking-heavy approach with a blend of leg kicks against his rivals. His signature left hook is incredibly powerful and is a serious threat for any opponent that enters the octagon to face Pereira.

Despite negligible experience in wrestling, the 37-year-old Brazilian has gone on to become a two division champion in the UFC within a span of just 14 professional MMA fights. Praising him for his accolades, Sonnen took to Instagram and said:

"I continually question Alex Pereira, we all do, and we should. There is nothing that Alex has done in this sport that has made sense. Coming to the sport at 36-years-old didn't make sense. That since 1993 it has proven that grappling is king. How far does that house of cards go? "

He continued:

"When Alex got to the championship there was some question, he draws into Prochazka, he draws into Prochazka the second time, he draws into Rountree, the whole story starts to tell itself. As the story of Alex Pereira is unfolding, as we realizing everything we questioned that he believed to be true, he was the expert and we were the students."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Alex Pereira below:

Alex Pereira reveals potential future opponents after his fight at UFC 313

Alex Pereira is days away from a showdown against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in a light heavyweight title bout. He had a successful year in 2024, having defended his title three times.

Many fight experts and MMA fans believe Ankalaev to be Pereira's toughest challenge in MMA owing to his fighting style. However, 'Poatan' is confident of his win. In a press conference ahead of his fight with Ankalaev, the reigning light heavyweight champion was asked about his future opponents.

He responded to the question by saying:

"What I think for the future that I have in hand is either Dricus or Jon Jones or even fighting Oleksandr Usyk in boxing [H/t MMMA Junkie]."

Watch Pereira's comments below: