Sean O’Malley believes that Alex Pereira‘s weight cutting is compromising his chin and may be the cause of his loss to Israel Adesanya in UFC 287.
Bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley recently voiced his concerns about Alex Pereira’s weight-cutting practices during his breakdown of UFC 287. Pereira, a former middleweight champion, is known for his large size and many have speculated that he will eventually make a move to the light heavyweight division. O’Malley pointed out that cutting too much weight leads to a compromised chin, which was evident in Pereira’s knockout loss to Israel Adesanya in the main event.
O’Malley spoke about Pereira’s weight-cutting in a recent episode of his Timbo Sugar Show on YouTube, “I was saying it. I said it in that fight reaction video. Izzy, and it’s true for both, Izzy just needs to crack him. Alex Pereira cuts so much weight. You cut that much weight, you chin is compromised.” He continued, “I think Pereira’s done. How old is he? I think he might be done. Done, done. I think he might call it… “I think cutting too much weight is definitely hurting him.”
Pereira’s loss to Adesanya was his first in the UFC and ended his seven-fight winning streak and title reign. He has had nine career MMA fights and at 35 years old, many are speculating about his next move. Even his team knows that they will have to make a decision about his division soon. Adesanya stated that he has ‘closed the chapter’ on Alex Pereira, indicating that he is ready to move on to new opponents.
While weight-cutting is a common practice in MMA, it can lead to serious health issues and impact a fighter’s performance in the cage. Some fighters are known for cutting more weight than is healthy, and O’Malley clearly believes that Pereira is one of them. It remains to be seen whether Pereira will heed this advice and change his weight-cutting practices, or if he will move up a weight class to avoid any further damage to his chin or his career.