In Teddy Atlas‘ eyes, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has a special set of skills only seen in some of the world’s greatest strikers.
Returning to the Octagon on just 16 days’ notice, ‘Poatan’ added another highlight-reel knockout to his resume, securing a stunning second-round head-kick KO against ex-titleholder Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 303 headliner.
It was perhaps Pereira’s most impressive performance yet, earning critical acclaim from pundits, including Atlas who marveled at Pereira’s ability to generate knockout power with little space to work.
“I haven’t seen a short punch like that since Joe Louis film, the late, great Joe Louis,” Atlas said of Pereira’s late first-round knockdown of Prochazka.