Tag: Alex Pereira

Video: What will happen when Israel Adesanya fights nemesis Alex Pereira at UFC 281?

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has arguably the biggest fight of his career teed up for UFC 281 against arch nemesis Alex Pereira.

We got the news this past week that [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] has his next title defense lined up – and it’ll be against what might best be described as his arch nemesis.

Middleweight champion Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) will put his title on the line in November at Madison Square Garden against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who holds two kickboxing wins over him. They’ll headline UFC 281 in New York.

The fight still is three months out, but there will be plenty of buzz for it in the buildup. Pereira’s two wins over Adesanya came in a different discipline – but it’s still one that they both traffic in during their MMA fights.

Will the ruleset benefit Adesanya, who is coming off a dominant, albeit mostly uneventful win over Jared Cannonier? Will having 4-ounce gloves work out in Pereira’s favor, particularly after we saw what he just did to Sean Strickland?

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What kind of early predictions do we have for the big title fight in the mecca of combat sports? That’s what we asked our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze,” along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out their reaction in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video below.

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Bruno Silva sees Alex Pereira as the favorite over ‘boring’ Israel Adesanya

Bruno Silva thinks oddsmakers have it wrong for the middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

SAN DIEGO – [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] thinks oddsmakers have it wrong for the middleweight title fight between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Middleweight champion Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) currently is a slight favorite heading into his sixth title defense against former kickboxing foe Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC 281 on Nov. 12.

However, having gone the distance in an entertaining loss to Pereira in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 203 in March, Silva (22-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) thinks the odds should favor Pereira, who already has defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing.

“I do see right now that Alex is the favorite,” Pereira said Wednesday at UFC on ESPN 41 media day. “But if Adesanya fights the way he fought maybe two years ago, I would see him winning the fight. But I don’t think that’s the person that he’s bringing right now, so I do see Alex being the favorite for this one.”

Silva isn’t fond of the fighting style of Adesanya, who hasn’t notched a finish since a TKO of Paulo Costa in September 2020. He thinks Adesanya needs to ramp up his aggression in order to find success against Pereira.

“He needs to stop fighting boring,” Silva said. “He’s putting me to sleep with what he’s been doing lately. This is a guy who has so much baggage coming into MMA. We know what he’s capable of – so much experience. But Alex, Glory (Kickboxing), everything he comes with – these are two very experienced fighters.

“But the thing is, Adesanya – yes, he has to fight aggressively. He has to be more offensive. I am not a fan of his fighting style, regardless, but I do think that he needs to be less boring in order to win that fight – like he fought two years ago.”

Silva will look to rebound from his loss to Pereira when he meets Gerald Meerschaert (34-15 MMA, 9-7 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 41 main card, which takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 41.

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Henry Cejudo says Alex Pereira ‘more diverse’ than Israel Adesanya, expects knockout at UFC 281

Henry Cejudo thinks Alex Pereira is the man to end to Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title reign.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] is the man to end [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s middleweight championship reign.

Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against former kickboxing foe Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC 281 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Pereira already has beaten Adesanya twice in kickboxing. “Poatan” had a fast rise in MMA, starching top contender Sean Strickland with his patented left hook at UFC 276 to set up a third meeting with Adesanya. Cejudo thinks that, with Pereira’s success against Adesanya in kickboxing, there are ways he can capitalize on some of the tendencies he thinks could hurt the champ.

“This is interesting, because Israel Adesanya hasn’t had the best performances and him not having the best performances, I’m saying being boring and everybody being critical of him, me being one of them,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “But I do believe with this fight you are gonna have two strikers, and I don’t think this fight is gonna go five rounds. I really don’t. I think just for the simple fact that Alex Pereira has experience with Israel Adesanya, and this is the way I see the fight coming out.

“Obviously Israel is a champion for a reason, but I also see the more the diversity that Pereira has I think is what makes him a little more dangerous, because there is one thing that Israel does leave behind, which is very wide, so I think he may end up changing this during the fight is his stance. Notice he’s very heavy on his legs, because he’s able to rock back and forth, and really a lot of mixed martial artists haven’t been able to take advantage of that front leg. But when you got a guy like Pereira who’s been there before, who’s a kickboxer, who’s known for kicking, this is where the fight could pay dividends on his side.”

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Cejudo sees Pereira as the more unpredictable striker with the better arsenal and picks him to knock out Adesanya if the fight stays standing.

“I just think he’s a little more diverse,” Cejudo added. “There are a couple of things that Israel does wrong in mixed martial arts, and I think Pereira is gonna end up capitalizing. No. 1 is his stance. He’s a little too wide. I do believe Pereira is gonna go ahead and pick at that front leg. He’ll tend to get people to come in, to eventually throw that hook. I think Pereira has been there before, where he has the ability to catch him with those right hands as soon as he (Adesanya) leans for that hook.”

He continued, “If it comes down to striking, I’m gonna go with Alex Pereira just for the simple fact that he’s beaten him twice before. This guy is more diverse with the kicks, with the jumping knees as we saw. These are things that Israel doesn’t necessarily do. Israel is the type of opponent that will chip you away, that will hurt you, that will end up finishing you in the later rounds. For Pereira, you just don’t know what you get. We saw it before: the jumping knees, the kicks, the left hooks, the right hands. I think he’s a little more diverse, so for that reason I’m going Alex Pereira by knockout.”

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Spinning Back Clique: New UFC light heavyweight contender emerges, Jon Jones taking too long?, and more

“Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show, discusses the emergence of Jamahal Hill, Jon Jones’ return timeline, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • Looking back at UFC on ESPN 40 this past weekend, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] defeated Thiago Santos in what was a fast-paced, action-packed, back-and-forth thriller to assert himself as a new title contender at light heavyweight. Or is that too strong of a position for the DWCS alum considering we’ve also got Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev in the mix?
  • Also, this past weekend, [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] was bounced from the 2022 PFL lightweight playoffs after losing for the second consecutive time to Stevie Ray, this time a unanimous decision. The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion’s bid to win a third major title will have to wait. Furthermore, his contract expires after this season. At $750,000 a fight (disclosed), did the PFL get the return it wanted and should he be brought back?
  • Turning the page and looking forward, what are the stakes this weekend between [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] and [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 41 headliner? We have a former champ vs. someone on a quest to be a champ.
  • Looking forward even further, we got a HUGE announcement last week that UFC 281 in New York will be headlined by middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] defending his title against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden. These two have met before in kickboxing, with Pereira up 2-0. What do we think? MSG, Stylebender, November … sound about right? What are the early predictions?
  • Last but not least, looking ahead even further, former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] seemed a little perturbed and motivated by the notion from fans that he’s taking too long to return to the octagon for his heavyweight debut. Unless he headlines the UFC’s December pay-per-view, we will have gone two full calendar years without a Jones fight and not since March 2020 has he been in action. Could this long, drawn-out layoff hurting Jones?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

‘I run towards the fire’: Israel Adesanya explains decision to fight Alex Pereira at UFC 281

The UFC middleweight champion will meet a familiar foe at the top of November’s pay-per-view event.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is now set to face the man who has defeated him twice in kickboxing, but the UFC middleweight champion is looking forward to their third pairing inside the octagon.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] is just three fights into his UFC career, with a total of seven professional MMA bouts. While his debut finish of Andreas Michailidis and his spectacular knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276 were impressive, any other fighter would most likely have more work to do before earning a shot at the title. However, when one holds two wins over the current champion, and the division is essentially cleared out, things can happen quickly.

Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) has a decision and a knockout loss against Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in kickboxing. It’s a big reason why many were excited to see Pereira enter the UFC.

After just three undefeated UFC appearances from Pereira, the third meeting will take place under the bright lights of the storied Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 12.

But why did Adesanya choose to face him now?

“I’ve always picked the guy no one wants to fight,” Adesanya said during an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “The guy everyone runs away from, I run towards. So yeah, I run towards the fire, and this is no different.

“After he beat me in Brazil, I never had any plans of trying to get revenge or anything like that because I don’t hold on to things, I let go of things. But again, I’m telling you, the universe has presented this to me and it’s right there. The perfect alley-oop, and I’m going to slam this b*tch.”

Adesanya has defeated everyone in the top five of the USA TODAY SPORTS/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, which leaves No.6 Pereira as the next man in line for his shot.

With five title defenses (six, if you ask him) in his back pocket, Adesanya, will face a highly skilled striker who will be willing to exchange on the feet. That is a key element he believes has been missing from recent opponents, which he believes will create excitement for the fans. Adesanya will enter on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, a fight that received boos due to the lack of action.

“I’m really excited to have someone finally who after the first round or the second round, they realize they can’t do sh*t and just want to be defensive,” Adesanya said. “I’m excited to have someone who’s going to attack me. Who’s going to try to finish me. He’s done it before in the past in kickboxing.

“So for me, it’s like is he going to get knocked out, or am I going to get knocked out? So that’s why you have to tune in and find out.”

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UFC 281 set with Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira headliner at Madison Square Garden

One of the most anticipated fights on the UFC docket has an official date and location.

Years in the making, [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] are finally set to square off again. This time, it’ll be in MMA – on one of the biggest combat sports stages at one of the most iconic venues in the world.

UFC 281 is set for Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York and Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) vs. Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is set to headline, the promotion announced Friday via broadcast partner ESPN.

No other bouts have been set for the Nov. 12 pay-per-view at this time, though a lightweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler is being discussed, potentially for that date.

The matchup is the one the promotion has indicated would happen since UFC 276 took place July 6. On that pay-per-view card, both Adesanya and Pereira won. Adesanya successfully defended his title against Jared Cannonier, two fights after Pereira quickly knocked out Sean Strickland with his signature left hook.

Since former Glory Kickboxing champion Pereira went full-force into mixed martial arts in 2020, fans have hankered for a matchup against his two-time opponent Adesanya – even before he signed with the UFC in 2021.

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As for the two kickboxing battles, Pereira is 2-0 against Adesanya. The first meeting took place in April 2016, during which Adesanya lost a unanimous decision to Pereira – a decision Adesanya disputes.

The rematch took place in March 2017 and the full highlights of the fight can be seen in the video above. As Adesanya outlined during his UFC 276 pre-fight news conference, he had Pereira hurt prior to a table-turning left hook knockout by his Brazilian opponent.

You can watch the two kickboxing fights in full here.

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Sean Strickland expects Israel Adesanya to ‘dance around on his little twinkle toes’ vs. Alex Pereira

Sean Strickland thinks Israel Adesanya will beat Alex Pereira, but he’s not gonna like it.

While UFC president Dana White is confident that the middleweight title fight between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] will be a banger, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] doesn’t see it that way.

Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) soon will meet after both men picked up victories earlier this month at UFC 276. Adesanya won a unanimous decision against Jared Cannonier in the night’s main event, while Pereira knocked out Strickland in the first round of their fight earlier on the main card.

Adesanya’s performance was a technical display of dominance, but it failed to deliver on the pre-fight talk from the champion, which earned him criticism from a swath of fans on social media. However, White said this past weekend that he guarantees Adesanya vs. Pereira will be “bat-shit nuts.”

Strickland believes otherwise.

“Let me tell you something: Just because you can fight doesn’t mean you’re not a b*tch,” Strickland told “The Schmo.” “Don’t forget that. Ask that to Izzy. Just because you can fight, don’t mean you’re not a b*tch. And I think Izzy’s gonna beat Alex. I think Izzy’s gonna stand there, and Izzy’s gonna bounce around and outpoint Alex for five rounds, and we’re all gonna say Izzy’s the best in the world. Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a b*tch.”

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Strickland’s harsh words on Adesanya likely stem, in part, from the fact that the two men feuded entering UFC 276, which culminated with their memorable back-and-forth at the pre-event news conference.

Pereira owns two kickboxing wins over Adesanya, including one knockout. For that reason, many believe revenge will bring out a different side of Adesanya, who has four decisions among his five title defenses –but not Strickland.

“He’s gonna float around and win,” Strickland said. “But at the end of the day, no one remembers how you win; they just remember that you win. So even though he’s gonna f*cking dance around on his little twinkle toes, he’s still gonna win. I hope he doesn’t, but I still think he’s gonna win.

“F*cking Izzy.”

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Dana White ‘garantiza’ que la pelea entre Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira será una ‘p*nche locura’

Israel Adesanya, campeón de peso mediano de la UFC salió victorioso en su última pelea, pero su actuación dejó mucho que desear y recibió muchas críticas. Incluso por admisión propia, Adesanya tuvo una mala noche, algo en lo que Dana White parece …

Israel Adesanya, campeón de peso mediano de la UFC salió victorioso en su última pelea, pero su actuación dejó mucho que desear y recibió muchas críticas. Incluso por admisión propia, Adesanya tuvo una mala noche, algo en lo que Dana White parece estar de acuerdo.

Pero el jefe de la UFC le ha asegurado a los fans que ese no será el caso para la próxima pelea de Adesanya.

Al haber ganado una pelea sólida, aunque apagada, por decisión unánime contra Jared Cannonier a principios de este mes en la UFC 276, Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) se colocó en posición para su siguiente pelea para defender su título contra el retador Alex Pereira. Esa tarde, un poco más temprano, Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) aseguró la oportunidad de pelear por el título al noquear a Sean Strickland.

Debido a que Pereira tiene dos victorias en kickboxing sobre Adesanya, incluido un KO, White está seguro de que Adesanya estará muy motivado para esa pelea contra su némesis.

“Cuando estás sentado aquí en donde yo estoy, no puedes garantizar demasiadas cosas”, dijo White el sábado durante la conferencia de prensa después de la pelea de la UFC en ABC 3. “Puedo decirles, ‘Por el estilo, en papel esto debería ser ’, ¿saben? O algo como: ‘Sentimos que esto será’. Pero yo les garantizo. Les garantizo absolutamente que la siguiente pelea de Israel Adesanya pelee será una p*nche locura.”.

Desde que se convirtió en el campeón invicto de peso mediano de la UFC en octubre de 2019, Adesanya ha defendido su título cinco veces; cuatro las ganó por decisión y una fue un nocaut técnico contra Paulo Costa. De camino a la UFC 276, Adesanya habló y prometió mucho, y mientras que ganó, el dominio y la emoción no estuvieron presentes.

Sin embargo, White no puede echarle toda la culpa al campeón.

“Él ganó”, dijo White. “Es decir, no sé si fue la actuación que él hubiera querido dar o si qué, pero tampoco creo que su oponente haya sido muy agresivo. Se necesitan dos para que tener una buena pelea. …

No volverá a pasar en la próxima pelea.”

 

Artículo traducido por Ana Lucía Toledo

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Robert Whittaker surprised by how fast Alex Pereira ‘skyrocketed’ up UFC middleweight rankings

Robert Whittaker understands why the UFC has fast-tracked Alex Pereira but acknowledges there are fights he should’ve had first.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] didn’t expect [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] to fight for a UFC title so soon.

After just three octagon wins, including a first-round knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276, Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is next in line for middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

Whittaker (23-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) understands that the UFC’s fast track of Pereira came due to his kickboxing history with Adesanya, where he beat “The Last Stylebender” twice, once by knockout. But Whittaker thinks there were multiple style matchups Pereira could have gone through before getting a shot at gold.

“The surprise comes from how fast Pereira’s just skyrocketed through the ranks to get that title shot,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “But really, I think it’s a good fight. It’s a good fight to match up two tall dudes, striking, been there before. I think it’ll be fun.”

He continued, “There’s a lot of different guys that’ll give him a really hard fight, but it is what it is. … That fight’s happening. He was placed well, his matches were placed well, his opponents were picked out, and he’s up there. They’ve made that fight, the revenge fight sort of thing happen, and it’ll be a big show.”

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Having already lost to Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) twice, Whittaker knows it’s in his best interest if Pereira wins but isn’t necessarily rooting for him.

“Maybe Alex just because it makes getting that title fight a little easier, you know,” Whittaker said. “Getting a third fight against Izzy is much harder than getting a first fight with with Alex, so I would have to lean towards that, you know, smart-wise. But in my heart of hearts, I don’t really care.”

Former middleweight champ Whittaker will look to reposition himself into title contention when he faces Marvin Vettori at a UFC Fight Night event in Paris on Sept. 3.

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VIDEO: El brutal KO de Alex Pereira que encendió las redes

Con la victoria, el futuro de Alex Pereira está puesta en el campeón de peso mediano Israel Adesanya pues aseguró el derecho a enfrentarlo.

El brasileño Alex Pereira logró conectar un brutal nocaut a su rival estadounidense Sean Strickland durante la UFC 276 en Las Vegas.

Las redes sociales de inmediato reaccionaron pues durante los primeros minutos del combate el sudamericano conectó un cruzado de derecha que impactó directamente la mandíbula del norteamericano que sin más se fue a la lona.

Stricklad utilizó sus redes sociales para enviar un mensaje a Pereira felicitándolo por el combate y llamándolo asesino por su manera ejemplar de mandarlo a la lona.

“Es una m…. Uno nunca quiere estar en el video de highlights de nadie, pero es así es nuestro deporte. Intenté golpear a uno de los mejores kickboxers del mundo. El problema fue que, durante el primer round, pensé: ‘Esta pelea va a ser fácil. Voy a ganar en tres rounds’. Y de repente me atraparon. Felicitaciones para Alex, es un asesino”, publicó el estadounidense.

Con la victoria, el futuro de Alex Pereira está puesta en el campeón de peso mediano Israel Adesanya pues aseguró el derecho a enfrentarlo.

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