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Alex Pereira thinks his rival Israel Adesanya has proven himself to be the best striker in the UFC. But there's a caveat, according to the Brazilian.
During an interview with The Schmo, the UFC middleweight title challenger was asked whether he believes Adesanya is the best stand-up fighter in the promotion. 'Poatan' responded by saying:
"Well, he is doing his thing. He's been proving himself. He's been showing everybody he's the best striker, but you know, I'm getting there, so it's going to be a different conversation."
Watch Alex Pereira's interview with The Schmo:
It's worth mentioning that, as far as kickboxing bouts go, Pereira is 2-0 against Adesanya. The first meeting took place in April 2016, during which Adesanya lost a unanimous decision to Pereira. When the pair ran it back in March 2017, 'Poatan' handed 'The Last Stylebender' the first and only knockout loss of his prizefighting career.
Pereira's two victories against Adesanya helped him secure a title shot, despite having only three wins in the UFC. The third installment of their rivalry will take place in the main event of the UFC 281 pay-per-view (PPV) on November 12.
UFC middleweight contenders predict Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira
UFC middleweight contenders Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier backed Israel Adesanya against Alex Pereira.
As far as Strickland is concerned, Adesanya should be favored to beat Pereira in their upcoming title fight. However, Strickland believes the champ will retain the belt simply by fighting "like a b*tch" and outscoring the challenger. Appearing on Brendan Schaub's Food Truck Diaries, Strickland said:
"I got Izzy [Israel Adesanya]. Izzy's gonna dance around, f***ing run around, fight like a b*tch. He's not gonna do what I do, he's not gonna stand in front of him... I think Izzy's gonna win, Izzy has a very strange body type, [he's] hard to fight."
Watch the interview below:
Meanwhile, former middleweight title challenger Cannonier has a more nuanced take. The way he sees it, Adesnaya's striking style is better-suited for MMA than Pereira's. With that in mind, 'The Killa Gorilla' thinks Adesanya will be able to avenge his pair of losses.
