Key Stats: 54.2% significant strike accuracy (5th all-time among WW), +1.31 striking differential (9th), 55% takedown accuracy (3rd)
What It Means: Pereira is perhaps the most unpredictable fighter on the roster. The Brazilian is a uniquely explosive athlete whose acrobatics in the cage have created their own headlines, but when Pereira is locked-in on the task at hand, he is a wild dude. His kickboxing has shades of capoeira, and when he gets loose, his angles and strikes are hard to see, let alone defend. Whether he is spinning, leaping, flipping or otherwise, Pereira is more than just style. When he keeps things simple, he is a plus-athlete who can outmuscle opponents in clinches and is often the faster fighter in the early stages of the fight.
MORE: Poirier’s Best Fights | Gaethje’s Best Fights
What to Look For in the Fight: This should be a hurricane of fun striking, conventional and otherwise. Thompson is so defensively sound that it’ll be interesting to see how Pereira navigates tracking him down to land his power shots. For all his flash, Pereira is lethally powerful and creative. How “Wonderboy” deals with that and finds a home for his own strikes is something to watch. Thompson is more than comfortable picking and choosing his shots and scoring points from the outside, and if Pereira’s cardio fails, Thompson can pick up the pace. Thompson’s body kicks are particularly powerful, which could help drain Pereira’s gas tank. That said, Pereira is always good for an out of nowhere-type strike to end things early.
