Some say Alex Pereira’s wealth will mean a struggle for motivation, but this UFC GOAT sees things differently.
Pereira has his sights on revenge in Las Vegas this Saturday, as he gears up to headline the UFC 320 pay-per-view in pursuit of regaining the light heavyweight title he lost almost seven months ago.
After being unseated by him at UFC 313, Pereira will challenge Magomed Ankalaev in the Dagestani’s first title defense on October 4.
‘Poatan’ will be the underdog against the current champ, and among the factors used by his doubters to back Ankalaev is the wealth Pereira has accumulated. But not everyone thinks that his financial success will result in a decline.
Demetrious Johnson picks ‘refreshed’ Alex Pereira to beat Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320
Ahead of his UFC Shanghai main event in August, Zhang Mingyang suggested Pereira is “too rich” to beat Ankalaev.
But while the Chinese contender thinks Pereira’s wealth will hamper his motivation, UFC flyweight GOAT Demetrious Johnson recently gave another perspective.
‘Mighty Mouse’ actually listed the money ‘Poatan’ has earned as one reason why he’s backing an upset, having seen the Brazilian finally able to make the most of it during a long-awaited break away from competition.
“Who do I have winning in the rematch? I’m gonna go with Alex Pereira,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel.
“After seeing some videos of Alex Pereira, I think he’s refreshed. I felt when he fought Ankalaev, he was just going banger after banger after banger after banger. Sometimes as an athlete, that can wear you out, it can extinguish the fire.
“Now that he’s had a lot of rest, he’s been able to enjoy the fruits of his labor, of all that money he’s made, now he’s refreshed and now he’s coming into this fight with a new set of eyes,” he added.
“For that, I’m gonna go with Alex Pereira.”
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Israel Adesanya shares Demetrious Johnson’s sentiment on Alex Pereira
‘Mighty Mouse’ is not the only prominent name predicting that a more “motivated” Pereira will enter the cage at UFC 320.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya revealed his Ankalaev vs Pereira prediction. The legendary middleweight is siding with his former rival, whom he believes will have a fire underneath him after the result earlier this year.
“He’s more motivated. He hasn’t lost that light heavyweight (title) and had that fire, where it’s like, ‘F— man, I’ve gotta get this back.’ It’s something different when you want to get back.
“For this fight, I’m gonna go Alex Pereira,” Adesanya continued. “But it’s not gonna be an easy fight, based on the first fight, from what I’ve seen.
“It’s easier said than done, but I think Alex can do it. I’m gonna go ‘Poatan’ by (decision) in this fight.”