Former UFC title challenger says his son admires Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, recounts meeting the latter in New Zealand: "It was very nice"
A former UFC title challenger recently disclosed that his son admires Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya and recounted his most recent experience meeting the latter. The Brazilian lavished praise on the former middleweight champion for his hospitality when visiting his gym in New Zealand prior to his main event bout against Dricus du Plessis.
Demian Maia made the revelation, which came as somewhat of a surprise as the former title challenger was known as a grappler. But it appears as though his son has gravitated towards strikers, with Pereira and Adesanya becoming two of the biggest stars in the UFC. Both competitors have gained a large following, especially considering their respective fighting styles and activity in recent years.
During his appearance on Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's JAXXON PODCAST, the Brazilian discussed his son, Lorenzo's admiration for the former Glory kickboxers-turned-MMA stars. Maia claimed that his son prefers to be a striker and mentioned that both Adesanya and his coach Eugene Bareman were very generous when he visited their gym last month. He said:
"[My son] wants to be a striker...he said, 'I wanna be like 'Poatan', he loves [Pereira] or he wants to be like [Israel] Adesanya...We [went to Adesanya's gym] and Eugene [Bareman], his coach was there and I didn't know but he loves my style and he knew all my fights...[Bareman] said, 'Come here tomorrow, [Adesnaya] will be here'. So I [went]...They prepare some little ceremony for me...It was very nice."
Check out Demian Maia's comments below:
Former UFC title challenger Demian Maia recounts interacting with Alex Pereira
In addition to recounting his experience meeting Israel Adesanya, former UFC title challenger Demian Maia described what it was like interacting with his fellow countryman Alex Pereira.
During the aforementioned appearance, Maia disclosed that the reigning light heavyweight champion had visited his academy a few years ago and mentioned that he is a fighter that is committed to learning. He said:
"[Pereira] is amazing. I like him very much...He's a nice guy but he's very serious in his job...I love to see him because his kickboxing fundamentals, well done...He came to my academy a couple years ago right after he got in the UFC...He's very quick, very strong...He learns fast."
Check out Demian Maia's comments below: