What are Alex Pereira's coach Plinio Cruz's MMA credentials?

Plinio Cruz, Alex Pereira's Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, is an MMA fighter who has competed in organizations such as M-1, Bellator, CFFC and Future FC. Cruz fought in the heavyweight division and was the former CFFC champion.

Plinio Cruz last fought in June 2019 in Future FC in a losing effort against Douglas Humberto Queiroz Silva. He has an MMA record of 8-9.

Cruz is an accomplished martial artist in many disciplines. He holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu, a black belt in judo and a Muay Thai black degree. The Newark native has his own martial arts academy called Cruz MMA.

Plinio Cruz is most notably known for being in the corner of UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira. He is Pereira's jiu-jitsu coach and awarded 'Poatan' his brown belt after the Brazilian beat Israel Adesanya to claim the title at UFC 281.

The news of Alex Pereira's promotion was first reported by Ariel Helwani on Twitter.

Plinio Cruz last fought in 2019 and is currently on a three-fight skid. In one of those bouts, he lost to current UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus at CFFC 69. As of now, there is no news or announcement of Cruz competing in future bouts.

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How would a fight between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev pan out?

Following Alex Pereira's title win last Saturday, Khamzat Chimaev was quick to call out the newly crowned champion. 'Borz' put out a series of tweets claiming that Pereira was "easy money" and that he'd finish him in a fight.

Pereira responded to Chimaev's callout during the UFC 281 post-fight press conference and said the following:

"I'll be ready for anybody, I'll fight anybody. [In my training right now] I'm evolving so much and so fast. I have a great camp at Teixeira's."

Watch Pereira respond to Chimaev below:

A potential fight between Pereira and Chimaev will be a clear clash of styles with each fighter having a clear advantage, either in striking or grappling, over the other.

Skill-wise, if the fight remains on the feet, and 'Borz' gets tempted into a firefight, 'Poatan' will probably find the kill shot. If Chimaev is to win this fight, he will have to rely on his superior wrestling to take Pereira down and find a submission victory.

Watch Pereira's KOs in the UFC below:

Regarding physical attributes, Alex Pereira is the bigger fighter, standing two inches taller than 'Borz' at 6'4" (193 cm). In terms of reach as well, Pereira has a four-inch advantage at 79 inches.

Pereira has a bigger frame and has competed at light heavyweight in kickboxing. Chimaev fights at welterweight and middleweight, but their fight will most probably happen at 185lbs so 'Borz' won't have to cut a lot of weight.

Watch Chimaev's UFC highlights below:

A potential bout between the two is intriguing, and they have been having exchanges, the latest being 'Borz' trolling 'Poatan' about his recent promotion to brown belt in jiu-jitsu. As of now, fans can only wait for this fight of epic proportions.