Michael Bisping on why Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira is undoubtedly the next fight to make

Israel Adesanya's underwhelming middleweight title defense at UFC 276 was overshadowed by his next potential fight against Brazilian standout, Alex Pereira.

Jared Cannonier posed little threat to the Adesanya at UFC 276, and the fight eventually concluded with minimal action, ending with 'The Last Stylebender' retaining his title as the reigning champion.

Much of the buzz on the night belonged to the latest middleweight sensation, Alex Pereira. In only his third fight in the UFC, Pereira furthered his reputation as one of the hardest pound-for-pound hitters around. 'Poatan' knocked out Sean Strickland with a powerful left hook halfway through round one.

Check out his incredible knockout power:

His emphatic win saw him immediately being touted as the next challenger for the middleweight throne. Circumstances played a major part in his claim to the title shot, as Michael Bisping remarked on his YouTube channel:

"Adesanya's beaten everybody. So therefore, the fact that [Alex] Pereira went out there and Izzy [Israel Adesanya] can say, he parried the jab and he's got an easy style to beat and all these things. And I understand Izzy's gonna say that, Izzy's gonna play him down, Izzy's gonna try and dismiss him as a worthy contender. But the reality is, he's [Alex Pereira] probably gotta be next."

More importantly, the appeal of this bout goes beyond just fight-related circumstances. A potential Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira bout has the narrative to match its blockbuster billing.

Bisping elaborated on the same, citing Adesanya's past record against Pereira as a reason for the champion to be forced into avenging himself. But worse, it may also lead to Adesanya harboring doubts about going up against the only fighter to have ever knocked him out in combat sports.

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Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have history

Pereira famously collected two wins against Adesanya during their kickboxing days. His arrival in the UFC has many expecting a rematch between the two in a different setting, one where 'Izzy' has reigned supreme. Michael Bisping echoed the same expectations, but he does not agree with this fight being a conventional MMA fight:

"Pereira beat him twice. Now he's matured, he's got better with every single fight. And he's no doubt got better mixed martial arts skills than Alex Pereira. However, this fight's not gonna be an MMA fight. I just don't think so, this is gonna be a kickboxing match in the UFC octagon wearing four ounce gloves. And when they had those kinds of fights in the past, Pereira's beaten him twice."

Watch Alex Pereira knock out Israel Adesanya in their second fight:

Bisping also recalled the time when the UFC prioritized his storyline with Dan Henderson after UFC 199—the two were offered a rematch versus one another solely based off of their history together (Bisping was brutally Ko'd by Henderson at UFC 100)..

It made sense to capitalize on the storyline then, just as it makes sense to pounce on the storyline of a vengeful Israel Adesanya and an ambitious Alex Pereira now.

Watch Michael Bisping's full take on the potential matchup: