Mantan Juara UFC Perdebatkan Peluang Alex Pereira Lawan Ciryl Gane

Mantan juara kelas berat UFC, Fabricio Werdum dan Junior dos Santos, memperdebatkan taktik yang harus digunakan Alex Pereira saat menghadapi Ciryl Gane dalam perebutan sabuk interim kelas berat pada UFC Freedom 250 di Washington DC, Amerika Serikat, Minggu, 14 Juni 2026.

Pertarungan pendukung utama tersebut memicu perdebatan besar karena bursa taruhan menempatkan peluang kedua petarung dalam posisi seimbang. Junior dos Santos menilai agresivitas dan kekuatan KO satu pukulan milik Pereira akan menjadi kunci utama untuk meredam pergerakan Gane yang lincah.

"I think [Pereira’s] style will complicate [Gane]," kata Junior dos Santos, mantan juara kelas berat UFC.

Dos Santos menambahkan bahwa Pereira selalu memotong sudut dan memojokkan lawan, sehingga keunggulan kekuatan KO petarung Brasil itu akan terlihat saat benturan terjadi.

"Alex goes on the offensive mode all the time and always cutting angles, circling and gradually breaking down his opponents. Gane moves well backwards, but once ‘Poatan’ cuts angles very well, they must collide, and when it happens, ‘Poatan’ has the advantage of having one-punch knockout power. There couldn't have been a better debut fight in heavyweight for ‘Poatan.’ I believe he will win and make history by being the first athlete to be champion in three different divisions." kata Junior dos Santos.

Di sisi lain, Fabricio Werdum menilai Pereira memiliki jalur lain untuk menang jika melihat kelemahan Gane yang pernah dieksploitasi oleh Francis Ngannou dan Jon Jones.

"They are both great strikers, if ‘Poatan’ decides to exchange punches it can be a chess match with Ciryl having more chances to surprise," analisis Fabricio Werdum, mantan juara kelas berat UFC.

Werdum melihat Pereira telah mengembangkan kemampuan bertarung bawah bersama Glover Teixeira, sehingga membawa Gane ke matras akan membuat laga menjadi lebih mudah mengingat Gane dinilai menyerah terlalu cepat saat dikunci Jon Jones.

"I saw ‘Poatan’ training on the ground with Glover [Teixeira] and he clearly evolved his ground skills, so in my opinion he should expose Ciryl like Ngannou and Jones did. If ‘Poatan’ believes in his jiu-jitsu skills, he will be able to submit Gane. Besides not having a good ground game, Gane has a small heart, I realized that in his fight with Jon Jones. He accepted the defeat, stood still and didn’t even attempt a defense when the guillotine choke wasn’t even locked in. ‘Poatan’ can win standing up, but if he takes Gane to the ground, he will make it easier." kata Fabricio Werdum.

Sementara itu, komentator Jon Anik menanggapi pernyataan CEO UFC Dana White yang menyebut Pereira akan melompati Jon Jones dalam daftar petarung terbaik sepanjang masa (GOAT) jika berhasil menang.

"It's interesting," tutur Jon Anik, komentator UFC.

Anik merasa pencapaian rekan siarannya, Daniel Cormier, kurang mendapat kredit yang layak dalam perdebatan status terbaik ini.

"My broadcast partner Daniel Cormier probably doesn't get the credit he deserves in terms of his relative all-time greatness. It's hard to put this into context." kata Jon Anik.

Menurut Anik, kehebatan seorang petarung seharusnya diukur dari jumlah pertahanan gelar juara, di mana Pereira baru memiliki tiga pertahanan dibandingkan Jon Jones yang mengoleksi 16 pertahanan.

"I feel like greatness should be judged on championship title defenses," sebut Jon Anik.

Anik menegaskan Pereira belum pernah mempertahankan sabuk juara kelas menengah, sehingga masih banyak pekerjaan yang harus diselesaikan untuk mengejar sejarah petarung besar lain.

"If they hung a banner in Albuquerque, N.M. every time Jon Jones defended the title, they'd have 15 banners hanging up. I think in terms of chasing down Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre or Demetrious Johnson, maybe there would still be work to be done. 'Poatan' did not defend the middleweight title." kata Jon Anik.

Meski demikian, Anik tidak menampik bahwa pencapaian memburu gelar di tiga divisi berbeda merupakan prestasi langka yang patut diapresiasi.

"My gosh, Mount Rushmore is getting awfully crowded," ucap Jon Anik.

Ia menambahkan bahwa Pereira sedang mengejar pencapaian di wilayah yang belum pernah disentuh oleh petarung manapun sebelumnya.

"I just acknowledged a guy like DC who was a simultaneous double-champ, defended the belt in two divisions, and isn't necessarily mentioned in these conversations. I think he should be. But 'Poatan' is certainly chasing rarefied air that no one has breathed before, and we'll see if he can check that box." kata Jon Anik.

Dukungan agar Pereira mencetak sejarah baru juga datang dari mantan rivalnya, Israel Adesanya, yang menilai divisi kelas berat saat ini membutuhkan penyegaran karena situasi Jon Jones yang tidak pasti dan Tom Aspinall yang sedang cedera mata.

"This is what the division needed. (Jon) Jones is in or out; we don't know," ujar Israel Adesanya, mantan juara kelas menengah UFC.

Adesanya mengagumi perjalanan karier Pereira yang melesat cepat sejak beralih dari kickboxing hingga kini berpeluang mengukir sejarah baru.

"Aspinall is still recovering from the last fight with Gane, so now they need something fresh, a guy like Alex who's come to the UFC, smoked dudes to fight me, and then beat me, and then from there becoming the light heavyweight champion, and then now, never been done before, never even been attempted. This is rare air." kata Israel Adesanya.

Adesanya mengajak semua pihak untuk menghargai besarnya skala pencapaian yang sedang diincar oleh petarung asal Brasil tersebut.

"This is a level where you have to really just appreciate what this guy has done from kickboxing, from his background, his ties to his roots," lanjut Israel Adesanya.

Ia menganggap ambisi Pereira untuk naik ke kelas berat dan mengejar sabuk juara ketiga adalah hal yang luar biasa.

"Whether you love him or hate him, you have to really appreciate the magnitude of where this guy is taking it to now. This is crazy." kata Israel Adesanya.