Daniel Cormier highlighted Alex Pereira's meteoric rise to prominence, noting how unusual and extraordinary his quick ascent has been—moving from debuting at UFC prelims just four years ago to holding titles at middleweight and then light heavyweight. While cautious about Pereira facing Jon Jones at heavyweight, Cormier specifically emphasized that a decisive factor for Pereira would be successfully defending Magomed Ankalaev's takedown attempts in their upcoming fight. DC mentioned how traditionally wrestlers like Ankalaev, who represent strong Dagestani wrestling styles similar to Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, are seen as significant threats. Demonstrating improved takedown defense would mark an essential step for Pereira, and potentially reposition public perception of his viability as a challenger to Jon Jones at heavyweight.