Early bets on Alex Pereira after Israel Adesanya opens as a favorite for potential fight
Top MMA journo Chamatkar Sandhu recently took to social media to share the opening odds of a potential fight between former foes Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
The bookkeepers back 'The Last Stylebender' as the favorite in a fight against Alex Pereira as the duo opened at -165 and +145, respectively. However, the odds currently stand at -175 for Adesanya and +150 for Pereira, according to BetOnline.ag.
#UFC276
Here are the odds for Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira:
Israel Adesanya -165 (20/33)
Alex Pereira +145 (29/20)
The early money is on Pereira as the odds opened at Adesanya -180 (5/9) and Pereira at +160 (8/5).
(odds via @betonline_ag) 🏆 #UFC276 https://t.co/E4ySDW7uyT
Adesanya most recently put on a lackluster performance against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276. He overcame the challenge presented by 'The Killa Gorilla' by way of unanimous decision.
However, Pereira, while fighting on the same card, managed to impress the MMA faithful with his striking prowess. 'Poatan' locked horns with middleweight contender Sean Strickland and recorded a stunning first-round knockout.
In the aftermath of his UFC 276 outing, the Kiwi expressed interest in going toe-to-toe against Pereira. The history they share from their kickboxing days only makes this matchup all the more exciting.
The duo have previously competed inside the ring under the promotional banner of Glory Kickboxing on two occasions. Pereira initially outworked Adesanya over the course of three rounds to walk away with a unanimous decision win in April 2016 at Glory of Heroes 1.
Their second outing saw Pereira etch his name in combat sports folklore as the only fighter to KO Adesanya. The fight took place at Glory of Heroes 7 in March 2017.
Don’t forget Alex Pereira is the only person to ever KO Israel Adesanya 😤
https://t.co/jYCuPl83Vv
Israel Adesanya previews a potential fight against Alex Pereira
In a recent interaction with BT Sport's Caroline Pearce, Israel Adesanya offered his take on a potential bout against Alex Pereira inside the octagon. The Kiwi declared that he intends to make short work of the Brazilian.
However, in light of his latest performance against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, it seems like a legion of disgruntled MMA fans have rallied behind Pereira to knock the middleweight kingpin out.
Nevertheless, Adesanya remains unperturbed. In the same interaction with Pearce, 'The Last Stylebender' argued that he is at his best when fans and pundits count him out:
"Like I said, I'm going to put him on skates and leave him frozen. That's the plan. But yeah, I like feeling this pressure, when my back's against the wall, when everyone doubts me. I thrive in that s**t."
Watch Israel Adesanya's full interaction with Caroline Pearce below: