He's scary and it gets me excited - Sean Strickland confident of title shot if he emerges victorious against Alex Pereira

Sean Strickland recently offered a candid take on his upcoming middleweight bout against fledgling UFC 185-pounder, Alex Pereira. He conceded that Pereira came in with a lot of hype, being the only fighter to knock Israel Adesanya out. He argued that a win against a fighter like 'Poatan' could earn him a shot at the title.

Pereira has previously bested Adesanya on two occasions while fighting in the kickboxing format. He recorded the first win in China back in 2016 by way of decision. Alex Pereira subsequently recorded a memorable knockout of the Kiwi in Brazil the following year.

Strickland went on to admit that the prospect of locking horns with a battle-tested fighter like Pereira left him extremely excited.

He further admitted that Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker had already used up their opportunity to compete for the title. 'Tarzan' declared that the victor of his fight against Pereira deserved the next shot at divisional gold.

Sean Strickland offered fans some insight into the same while in conversation with Helen Yee. Here's what he had to say:

"With [Alex Pereira], it's like, this, kind of like, scary thing. Like, it kind of gets me excited, you know. You see him, you're like, 'Oh man, like, you're a big scary looking kickboxer. I want to fight you.' So I do like the fact that he does have that unknown factor, you know. New blood. I mean, new blood." When asked about the title shot, he said, "100%. I mean, [Robert Whittaker] and [Marvin Vettori], and again I love Marvin, he's a savage, but Whittaker and Marvin, they had their shot. The winner of me and Alex should get the title. Absolutely. I think everybody wants that."

Check out Sean Strickland's full interaction with Helen Yee below:

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Sean Strickland backs Khamzat Chimaev to win the UFC welterweight championship

In the same interaction with Helen Yee, Sean Strickland offered his take on Khamzat Chimaev's prospects in the welterweight title picture. He backed 'Borz' to lay claim to the 170-lbs strap somewhere down the line.

"I think [Khamzat Chimaev], he's young, he hasn't been tested yet. But I mean, I watch him train, he's a savage. He [ f**ks ] most people up. 100% I think he will be the next welterweight champion. 100%."

Khamzat Chimaev is currently hurtling towards a welterweight clash against Gilbert Burns. The fight is set to take place at UFC 273 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 9, Saturday.