"They did it with McGregor, they did it with 'Poatan'" - MMA analyst gets brutally honest on major criticism of Alex Pereira's light heavyweight run

MMA analyst Luke Thomas recently addressed a common criticism against Alex Pereira, suggesting the UFC has favored him, like Conor McGregor before. He believes the UFC has favored certain fighters, whom they view as stars, by giving them relatively easier matchups before tougher opponents.

As of now, Alex Pereira has not faced any credentialed wrestlers or grapplers, and the only one who implemented a wrestling gameplan against him was Jan Blachowicz. The analyst compared the situation to that of Conor McGregor who was predominantly pitted up against strikers.

Thomas shared his thoughts about the matter on the recent episode of Morning Kombat. When co-host Brian Campbell queried whether 'Poatan' benefitted from favorable matchmaking, Thomas wholeheartedly agreed. As such, he urged challenger Ankalaev to seize the moment at UFC 313 against Pereira, saying:

"You can get rid of all the unfairness, all of the delays, all of the suffering, all of the waiting. This is his [Magomed Ankalaev's] chance. They did it with McGregor. They did it with Poatan. They'll do it with somebody else in the future. This is his chance to upend it."

Check out Luke Thomas' comments about Alex Pereira below (20:56):

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Retired UFC legend gives his prediction for Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Ahead of the anticipated title fight between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev, former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson previewed the fight, picking a victor.

Many, including pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, have claimed Pereira is easy to take down. However, Johnson isn't convinced. Moreover, he is not confident in Ankalaev's ability to defend Pereira's leg kicks, a primary weapon of choice for Poatan. He said:

"If Alex Pereira wasn’t on a motherf**king tear, I would have gone with Magomed Ankalaev. So, I’ve always believed that a grappler can outwrestle the striker. But Alex Pereira, I’m a big fan. I think he's able to take the fight to anybody who he fights, and he's able to make adjustments, and for that and his IQ, I'm going to go with Alex Pereira."

Check out Demetrious Johnson's comments below (14:06):