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Ex-UFC Star Compares Alex Pereira to ‘Flu Game’ Michael Jordan

Daniel Cormier almost went off on Ben Askren for having NBA superstar Michael Jordan and Alex Pereira in the same sentence.

Christopher De Santiago

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Through thick and thin, Alex Pereira prevailed at UFC 307 - a "career-defining moment" for the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having defended his title against Khalil Rountree Jr. with a fourth-round TKO stoppage.

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"Think About Michael Jordan... The Most Famous Flu Game."

Pereira's performance was spectacular, with striking that looked like it came out of The Matrix, but the opening rounds were far from easy as Rountree landed clean on Pereira, hurting the champion multiple times before finally succumbing to the power jab of "Poatan" later on.

As Conor McGregor put it in his interview with The Schmo, 2024 has been Alex Pereira's year, the win over Rountree being his third title defense in a six month span.

"He's super active which is making him a superstar," former ONE and Bellator MMA Champion Ben Askren said of Pereira on Daniel Cormier's YouTube channel. "Other champions should probably take note of that. I think it builds up stories. Think about Michael Jordan, the most famous flu game..."

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Pereira persevered through much more than Rountree Jr. had to throw at him, facing a number of issues that could have prevented his quick turnaround to the Octagon. The champion disclosed a rib injury, saying he'd been on antibiotics due to sicknesses, which made for a three-week training camp.

Cormier Calls A Time-Out For Michael Jordan Comparison

Cormier has heard UFC stars being compared to Michael Jordan before, and he wasn't about to have it again with podcast guest Askren. Cormier almost walked off Kamaru Usman's Pound 4 Pound show when he likened Jon Jones to Michael Jordan as the consensus greatest of all time in MMA.

"Stop it right now," Cormier told Askren. "You said Michael Jordan. Let me ask you this now. Dude, I swear to God, you guys paint me into this way where it almost makes me feel like I'm hating on Pereira... Usman said that to me the other day, that Jon Jones is the Michael Jordan of MMA and now you making this comparison."

Michael Jordan during the 1993 NBA Finals
Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Askren Explains Himself

"He had subpar conditions," Askren responded. "He had a short training camp. He had an injury, and he decided to compete anyways. He found a way to get it done. I think that's the mark of a champion."

"Oh, you talking about the flu game..." Cormier said. "The one singular instance he was like Michael Jordan."

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereir
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Overcoming Adversity From The Court To The Octagon

Askren continued, further connecting the lines from an injured Pereira to basketball legend Michael Jordan, who won game 5 of the 1997 NBA finals, all while dealing with the flu.

"There's a lot of athletes that have almost career defining moments when there's some type of injury, hardship or adversity that they have to deal with in order to get over," Askren added.

"In fighting, the really weird thing that happens in fighting a lot is we don't actually see this because you can just delay your fight. If you're the champ, say, hey, give me a month. Give me six weeks... The NBA Finals. The Super Bowl. When those things are going to happen, they're going to happen. You can't just say, hey, no, give me four more weeks. So, we don't always see fighters deal with adversity and hardship. So, it's great when Alex pops in there, even when he's maybe not 100%."

Following his fourth title fight in 11 months, Alex Pereira plans to take a well-earned vacation from fighting.

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Christopher De Santiago
CHRISTOPHER DE SANTIAGO

Christopher De Santiago is a 22 year-old journalist from Gainesville, Texas with years of experience covering MMA.

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