"It's putting me to sleep" - Alex Pereira's former opponent says Israel Adesanya has to stop "boring" style to win against 'Poatan'
UFC middleweight Bruno Silva believes that Israel Adesanya will have to stop fighting in a "boring" style if he is to defeat rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281 later this year.
Silva faced 'Poatan' back in March in what was only Pereira's second appearance in the UFC. The bout went the distance and proved many of the former kickboxer's doubters wrong as he had his hand raised, winning by unanimous decision.
Alex Pereira gets his second win in the #UFC. 💥💥💥
Alex Pereira def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) #UFCVegas50
https://t.co/wZweUMKqDo
Following a brutal knockout win over Sean Strickland just four months later, Pereira has earned himself a title shot against the middleweight champ and his former two-time kickboxing foe.
Speaking at UFC San Diego's media day ahead of his fight against Gerald Meerschaert, Bruno Silva gave his thoughts on the November clash at the top of his division.
"He [Israel Adesanya] needs to stop fighting boring. It's putting me to sleep, what he's been doing lately. This is a guy that has so much baggage coming into MMA. We know what he's capable of. These are two very experienced fighters. Adesanya, yes, he has to fight more aggressive. I am not a fan of fighting style, but I do think he needs to be a little more less boring, like he fought two years ago."
Catch the interview below:
Alex Pereira believes it will be "impossible" for Israel Adesanya not to engage him at UFC 281
The rivalry between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya dates back to when the pair fought in Glory Kickboxing. 'Poatan' and 'The Last Stylebender' faced off twice, with the Brazilian getting the better of the Nigerian-New Zealander on both occasions.
Pereira had his hand raised via decision first before recording a nasty left hook KO in the rematch. It remains the only KO loss of Adesanya's entire combat sports career.
He utilized a similar weapon to sleep Strickland at UFC 276 last month.
The middleweight champ is undefeated at 185lbs and has rarely been taken to deep waters throughout his time in the UFC. Despite the dominance from the 32-year-old, Alex Pereira is confident he can cause a major upset.
In an interview with Super Lutas, the former Glory middleweight and light heavyweight champ said:
“I can tell you that it will be impossible for him not to engage, if he’s within my reach I will hurt him. And five rounds…he won’t make it, five rounds? And I come close, you can see in the fights that I come close, I have a very good defense. He will want to attack or counterattack, but I can hurt him with my defense too.”
Catch Alex Pereira's full interview here: