Laura Sanko expects heavyweight Alex Pereira 'to look really good' at UFC White House
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Laura Sanko sees Alex Pereira creating another special moment at UFC Freedom 250.
Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) takes on Ciryl Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title in the June 14 co-main event at the White House in Washington DC (Paramount+). Pereira will look to claim a UFC belt in a third weight division after capturing both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles.
"There's so many unknowns about what Alex will look like at heavyweight," Sanko told MMA Junkie. "It seems to me, if there was ever a light heavyweight to apply his trade at heavyweight, it would be Alex Pereira. Against Ciryl Gane, though, he's not facing a guy who is just out there lumbering forward, slanging and banging. This is a guy who moves and hits really hard but at that same token is not known necessarily as a knockout artist in the heavyweight division, not like a guy like Derrick Lewis."
Although many see wrestling as a major advantage for Gane, UFC analyst and color commentator Sanko isn't sure if it's going to predominantly be his game plan against Pereira.
"I think a lot of it is going to be footwork," Sanko said. "Neither of these guys is necessarily purely a knockout artist, which I know is crazy to say about Alex Pereira because he has so many finishes. But he's not just looking for the knockout, so I think we're going to see a little bit of a longer fight potentially between these two. There's definitely a huge probability for a finish.
"I'm not saying it's going to go to a decision, but I do see these two having a very intelligent kickboxing match for quite a while because they really start throwing with heat and bad intentions that could finish the fight. I'm interested to see if either, maybe Gane looks to grapple, I don't think he's going to be out there shooting double legs, but I could see him putting Alex up against the fence and try to make him wear his weight a little bit, make him tired. If I was a heavyweight, I would try to be as physical as possible with Alex Pereira."
Ultimately, Sanko finds it hard to pick against Pereira, who has created several massive moments in a short amount of time in the UFC.
"I'm bold," Sanko concluded. "I actually feel like Alex is going to get it done. I think he's going to look really good at heavyweight, and we're going to see it early and that he's going to find his shot. I don't know if it will be the left hook or the head kick, or what it's going to be – but something feels kind of magical with him chasing this piece of history."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Freedom 250: Analyst likes Alex Pereira at heavyweight