"Has too much to risk to go out there and play Texas shoot'em" - Brendan Schaub praises "very cerebral, smart" Israel Adesanya as he breaks down fight against Alex Pereira
Brendan Schaub has shared his thoughts on the upcoming middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
In the latest episode of 'The Schaub Show', the former UFC heavyweight previewed the fight. Schaub fired back at the naysayers who have claimed that Adesanya would get knocked out again.
According to 'Big Brown', 'The Last Stylebender' has grown a lot as a fighter since his last encounter with Pereira. Schaub predicted that Adesanya will pick the Brazilian apart from distance, and the only way for Pereira to win is if he lands a unique shot on the middleweight champion:
"All you guys are buying the narrative that Izzy's [Israel Adesanya] just gonna get knocked out again. That's f**king stupid. That's assuming Izzy, from whatever the fight was, five-six years ago, is the same fighter. He's definitely not. Izzy is a very cerebral smart fighter, has too much to risk to go out there and play Texas shoot'em with a fricking guy like Pereira. He's gonna sit on the outside, pick him apart, Alex's gonna get frustrated, come in, the only way [Pereira] gets a finish if Alex were to land something unconventional on Izzy."
Schaub added that the most likely scenario of the fight ending in a finish is if 'Poatan' loses patience after losing the initial rounds and rushes in only to get knocked out.
You can watch the full episode of 'The Schaub Show' below:
Adesanya and Periera fought twice in kickboxing and the Brazilian got the nod both times. Their second encounter marks the only instance time Adesanya has been knocked out in his combat sports career.
Israel Adesanya says upcoming fight with Alex Pereira is 'personal'
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira's paths will cross for a third time on November 12th. The two 185-pounders will lock horns for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 281. The event will take place at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York.
In the lead-up to the fight, 'The Last Stylebender' revealed that the fight was personal. Israel Adesanya admitted that due to the past two losses, Pereira has the bragging rights but come fight night, he wants to surprise 'Poatan':
"So this is personal, like for me I'm just gonna... I’ve said less, you know. He can do all the tennis ball videos and f***ing hoverboard things he wants. But, for me, I’m just like cool, you do you. He has bragging rights so let him do that. But, yeah when it’s time, I know something he doesn’t."