"Everybody thinks about the punches" - Henri Hooft claims Alex Pereira's skillset is more well-rounded than people give him credit for
Renowned striking coach Henri Hooft recently weighed in on the upcoming middleweight title clash between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. According to Hooft, Pereira's striking game is more well-rounded than people give him credit for.
Hooft noted that 'Poatan' possesses an attribute that is crucial across all combat sports – power. The Kill Cliff FC coach believes the Brazilian's power also translates to his knees and kicks, although it is usually his punches which are talked about. Hooft recently said on Chael Sonnen's YouTube channel:
"Power, it's a very big skill for Alex. Not only in his hands, everybody thinks about the punches but his knees are very dangerous. He has very hard kicks. Fought a lot of really hard fights against really good kickboxers. So, yeah, this will be just an amazing fight that if it stays standing, you never know."
Catch Henri Hooft's comments (7:54) below:
Hooft also opined that it would be pivotal for Adesanya to not lose his focus even for a split second, the downfall of which he has already learned via a 2017 KO. Additionally, the former Dutch kickboxer observed that Alex Pereira's clinch game will be at a different level compared to Adesanya's previous opponents.
Israel Adesanya reveals what excites him about the Alex Pereira fight
Israel Adesanya has more or less walked through the entire middleweight division since dethroning Robert Whittaker back in 2019. While 'The Last Stylebender' has been accused of coasting at times, he never seemed to be at a threat of losing the title so far.
However, Alex Pereira has been touted as a likely prospect to dethrone Adesanya since his UFC signing in September last year. Even the middleweight champion is aware that 'Poatan' will come hunting for his head instead of merely trying to survive inside the octagon.
However, it is this fear of losing and the resultant pressure that Adesanya claims to thrive under. 'The Last Stylebender' recently told Jake Paul:
"No matter what you do in life, there's always the element of fear, and a lot of people fold under that pressure, and this for me, this is why I thrive... The last few fights for me, I knew I was going to sass these guys, I knew I was gonna waste them... He's [Alex Pereira] not gonna try and survive, he's gonna try and come forward and take me out. That's what excites me, that's what I thrive in."
Catch Israel Adesanya's comments (13:40) below: