"Master in the art of eight limbs" - Michael Bisping shares his prediction for Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira
Michael Bisping knows a lot about Sean Strickland's fighting style, given the two used to train at the same gyms in California. And according to 'The Count,' Strickland is missing an essential ingredient in his mixed martial arts game to beat Alex Pereira at UFC 276.
Pereira is a two-division Glory kickboxing champion who also happens to hold wins over middleweight champ Israel Adesanya in that sport. Given the Brazilian fighter's world-class striking, Bisping believes Sean Strickland will have to take him down to win. Unfortunately, 'The Count' doesn't think Strickland has that ability.
In his latest YouTube video previewing the UFC 276 title contender bout, Bisping said:
"He's got decent stand-up, although it's lacking to a certain degree. He's got conditioning off the charts. He's got great jiu jitsu, but he hasn't got crazy wrestling. And that's what he's going to need in this fight. He's got to be able to take Pereira down. Because if he can't take him down, he'll be forced to stand with him. And then it comes down to who's the better kickboxer. Well, Pereira is a master in the art of eight limbs. Punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. He's got flying knees, he's got fast kicks."
Bisping argued that Sean Strickland has primarily fought behind his jab since returning to middleweight, which might work against less savvy strikers but isn't likely to throw Alex Pereira off his game. That's why he's picking Pereira to beat Strickland at UFC 276, and he's hoping Strickland doesn't light him up on social media over it.
Alex Pereira’s KO on Saturday: fight motion edition https://t.co/ZhIelNqLRZ
Israel Adesanya calls Sean Strickland an "idiot" for beating up his sparring partners
While Israel Adesanya says he's entertained by Sean Strickland's antics outside the cage, he's not impressed with the way he roughs up his sparring partners. There's several videos out there showing Strickland hitting his teammates with ill intent, even knocking one out with a head kick.
Perhaps my favorite story ever shared on our airwaves, the monkey king recounts training partner Sean Strickland beating up minors and generally being MMA’s Joker https://t.co/0H8z1noriq
That's not cool, according to Adesanya. In a new YouTube video, 'The Last Stylebender' said:
"I’ve seen him do more damage on YouTube in sparring than in his fights. Put it that way. I’ve seen his sparring footages and I would never spar with an idiot like that. I’ve hurt people in sparring before and I’m just like, ‘Shit, my bad’. Or I’ll pull back with the body shot or whatever but I’ve seen what he does... He’s got many screws loose, many screws loose.”
As Adesanya mentioned, Sean Strickland's last performance against Jack Hermansson had none of the ferocity he showed in his training footage. Against Alex Pereira, he probably won't be able to ride his jab for fifteen minutes to a decision win.