It’s no coincidence that former two-division Glory champion Alex Pereira is up against one of the sport’s biggest stars and current UFC middleweight champion Isreal Adesanya on the same card.
Despite his brief MMA career, the former GLORY champion has long been a potential future opponent for reigning 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya due to their previous kickboxing encounters.
Pereira has a 2-0 record against Adesanya, including a vicious knockout in 2017 that served as “The Last Stylebender’s” final kickboxing appearance before transitioning to MMA. Alex Pereira could become the No. 1 contender in the middleweight division if he defeats Sean Strickland at UFC 276.
It’ll be Alex’s 3rd appearance in the Octagon and if he beats Strictland, It’ll set up a super fight against Stylenbender.
Pereira’s fight IQ sets him apart – Glover Teixeira
Despite the fact that Pereira has far less UFC experience than Adesanya, his friend, coach, and training partner Glover Teixeira believes it won’t matter much in the future. Even though Pereira has only six fights on his resume, Teixeira thinks that the way he approaches his fights sets him apart from the typical MMA fighter.
Teixeira understands Pereira still has a lot to learn. Still, he’s already well-versed in the transition he’s made from kickboxing to MMA after being regarded as one of the best kickboxers on the planet.
Teixeira on The MMA Hour talked about the match-up and Pereira’s meteoric rise “Take nothing away from Adesanya, but I think Alex has been ready for Adesanya since the first fight in the UFC,”
He added “I knew he was going to climb the ladder. I already know. Because of the styles. Styles make fights and Alex is getting better, better, and better.”
“The guy’s fighting IQ is so high,” Teixeira said about Pereira. “He’s so smart. You don’t understand. This guy’s a genius when it comes to fighting. He was talking to Lyoto [Machida]. Lyoto said that the things that he said to him are the things Lyoto’s father said to him. He learns so fast.” Glover concluded.
Sean Strictland, A favorable match-up to the Title?
Pereira scored a vicious second-round knockout in his first UFC fight. That earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus in his debut. Followed by a unanimous decision victory over fellow striker Bruno Silva in his most recent fight.
Pereira will face an established veteran in his upcoming fight with Strickland who’s on a six-fight winning streak. Strctland victories over proven contenders like Jack Hermansson, Uriah Hall, and Krzysztof Jotko.
Strickland is best known for his boxing abilities. It appears to be a good fit for kickboxer Pereira.
Of course, Teixeira recognizes that Pereira still has a lot to learn in terms of grappling. He though has no doubts about how he’ll fare in a fight against Adesanya.