Dethroned UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, before he lost to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, only had one loss in the division.
It was to Alex Pereira, the man who defeated Adesanya twice when the pair were fighting under the GLORY kickboxing promotion. Pereira trained Strickland ahead of the fight, and praised the new champ for his “really smart” gameplan heading into UFC 293.
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“I spent a few days training with Sean Strickland, and I got to see how talented he is. His strategies, how tough he is, I got a better understanding of this from training than actually fighting him. It was totally different because anyone who trains, who fights, knows how it is.
During practice, we have more room to play around and that’s what I was able to pick up from him and that’s why I was so sure he was gonna win.
Let me clarify, I had nothing to do with [his win], okay? He won on his own. It’s totally his success because he’s such a dedicated guy with a unique style and he really showed us what he’s got in his fight with Adesanya.
So, the credit is all his. I had nothing to do with it despite the days he spent training with me. We didn’t train a lot but we had some good talks that might have made a difference. Not only for this fight but for his career in general and mine, too.”
Pereira, after losing to Adesanya via knockout in his first title defense, moved up to the light heavyweight division, where he did what “The Last Stylebender” could not: defeat Jan Blachowicz, and establish himself as a threat in the heavier weight class.
Pereira is best known for his terrifying knockout power, but he had no shortage of praise for Strickland’s advanced striking acumen.
“Clearly, Sean came in and shut his game down. He was really smart. He was moving forward all the time with an amazing defense and let’s not forget the precise strikes. He walked less, circled, and landed the best attacks. You all saw the result.
I want to congratulate Sean Strickland. He did an amazing job and I’m really happy for the change in the division’s champion.
I think Sean’s time has come and it’s not likely that another [to take it away]. So, let’s brace ourselves for many more epic fights. Despite some people’s skepticism, ‘Oh, he fought with Alex and it wasn’t like that.’”
