Dustin Jacoby, like Israel Adesanya, ran afoul of Alex Pereira’s punching power when he was fighting for Glory kickboxing. On The MMA Hour, Jacoby, who now competes in the UFC light heavyweight division, recalled the only time he’s ever been knocked out, and how he sees his old foe faring against the reigning middleweight champion: Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya.
“It’s an interesting matchup. I fought Pereira — it’s the only time I’ve ever been knocked out. The guy knocks everybody out with the left hook. I can say that loud and proud, because there’s several guys that have fallen victim to him. And he’s just a dangerous man. Izzy, I know [Pereira] holds the 2-0 record, but again, that’s kickboxing, and one of those fights I think was a really good fight that could’ve gone either way.
Jacoby: “Hands Down” Pereira is the Heaviest Hitter He’s Ever Faced
And Izzy’s just different inside the MMA octagon. He’s got good defense. He fights really smart. He’s got high IQ. I’m a big fan of both guys.
But I would never bet against Pereira, man. That guy can literally touch anybody and knock them out at the drop of a dime, so Izzy’s got to be careful.”
Pereira’s been through his fair share of wars since his arrival in the UFC, riding a nine-fight winning streak, and recently dispatched top 205-pound prospect Da Un Jung at UFC Long Island. Alex Pereira, he says, remains “hands down” the hardest puncher he’s ever faced.
“No. 1, hands down. It’s not even a close comparison. Dude, I have a great chin. That’s not something to be real proud of, but if you’re going to be fighting people for a living, you better bring that to the table. If you’ve got a good chin, you’ve got a good chance of staying the fight. And with him, he just touches people different.
I’ve been able to take a lot of punches from a lot of guys that are solid. Da Un Jung got me with one shot and it was a clean right hand, but I took it like nothing and it never fazed me one bit.
I’ve yet to be rocked here in the UFC and I’ve fought a lot of big guys. Excuse me, Pereira just hits different, man. He’s got that power.”
Will Alex Pereira’s infamously heavy hands be enough to end Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya’s reign as middleweight king? Let us know in the comments.
