At UFC 276 on Saturday night, UFC middleweight Alex Pereira delivered a thunderous knockout victory over Sean Strickland to, seemingly, set himself up for a shot at the champ, Israel Adesanya. The same night saw Adesanya headline with a dominant, if somewhat underwhelming, victory over Jared Cannonier. Pereira promised at the post-fight press conference that, when he gets his shot at the champ, it will be a very different story.
“He did his part, but it was a fight that not only didn’t excite me but it also did not excite the crowd. I was very sad to see that, so I hope when we fight he does a better fight than that. But for sure, I’m going to make him fight to give a better show to the crowd.”
Pereira Promises Performance Against Adesanya After UFC 276 Snoozer
“Poatan” and “The Last Stylebender” have a rivalry going back to their days at the GLORY kickboxing promotion. Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya twice, the second being a vicious knockout that send the Nigerian-born New Zealander plummeting to the canvas, and into the Octagon. Since Israel Adesanya’s switch to MMA, he has not lost a single fight at middleweight, but Pereira promises he’s coming. He’ll take that fight any time.
“Whenever he’s ready, I just finished my fight, I’m fine. So I could start training tomorrow. I’m going to take two weeks to enjoy my life a little bit, but whenever he thinks he’s ready to go, I’m good.”
Alex Pereira’s victory over Sean Strickland marked only his third fight in the UFC, so a title shot for his next fight might seem unlikely. Pereira may need to take on another top-ranked fighter before he’s allowed to take on the champ. However, considering that they just fought on the same card, the timeline for a rematch has never looked better.
If there’s another man in the way before that fateful day, so be it. “A lot of people talk, especially fighters, they think they have a chance over me, so it feels good to prove that because at the end of the day it’s what the people want.
People want to see knockouts. People want to see the style that I fight. People want to see whoever is in front of me getting knocked out and that’s what I bring for them.”
Do you think we’ll see a more exciting side of Israel Adesanya if he faces Alex Pereira once again? Let us know in the comments.
