"He is cloaked in the curse of his own success" - Chael Sonnen says there is 'no worse scenario' for Israel Adesanya than Alex Pereira trilogy
Chael Sonnen has stated that a third fight with Alex Pereira is the worst case scenario for Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya and Pereira look set to lock horns for the middleweight title next. Sonnen stated that Adesanya has already beaten all the contenders in the middleweight division. Now he has to fight a former foe for a third time.
'The Bad Guy', while speaking on his YouTube channel, stated his belief that 'The Last Stylebender' is hindered by his own success:
"The one good thing that he had, going into last Saturday, is that he knew he was gonna have parity. He believed he was gonna have fresh blood. He is not gonna have to do a rematch. Wouldn't you know the irony? Son of a b**ch. Not only has he gotta do a rematch, he is gotta fight a guy for a third time.
"There is no worst scenario for Adesanya. He is cloaked in a curse of his own success. Having beat them all, you gotta beat them all again. Now, they're bringing a guy from the past over to a new sport."
Watch Chael Sonnen talk about Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira:
Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira: Old rivalry in a new sport
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have fought twice in kickboxing with 'Poatan' claiming the win on both occasions, including a knockout. Pereira is the only man to ever earn a finish against 'The Last Stylebender' in combat sports.
When 'Poatan' joined the UFC, the narrative was that the Brazilian is hunting down his former opponent who is on top of the world at the moment. That said, Pereira started his MMA career long before Adesanya joined the UFC.
His success in kickboxing delayed the transformation to MMA. Alex Pereira has finally arrived at the big stage and is on a three-fight winning streak at the moment. His knockout win against Sean Strickland at UFC 276 was a reminder of the scary ability of 'Poatan'.
Once suffering from alcoholism. Pereira has managed to leave his past behind and build a successful career. He might reach the pinnacle of his career with a third win against Adesanya and become the UFC middleweight champion.
As for Israel Adesanya, 'The Last Styelender' will look to score a win in his favor and show the world why he is such a dominant champion.