"I can see him winning comfortably" - Leon Edwards shares his prediction for "sick" Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira clash
Leon Edwards has picked Israel Adesanya to get the better of Alex Pereira in their upcoming title fight at UFC 281 this weekend. The Jamaican-born English champion appeared on a recent episode of the Spinnin Backfist podcast ahead of the highly awaited UFC 281 event in New York City.
When asked about his thoughts on the matchup, Edwards stated:
"Israel's [Adesanya] a friend of mine. I can see him winning comfortably. It's a good fight. I think Alex [Pereira] is going to bring it to him, you know... But MMA is a total different sport. It's going to be sick."
Edwards was also questioned on how their previous kickboxing experience would translate to MMA, and he replied:
"I think in kickboxing, because the ring is smaller, it is easier for Alex's [Pereira] style. Like pressure fighting, trying to catch you off and land these big shots. In MMA, with the movement and size of the octagon, it's quite big, and Izzy's going to have enough time to slide out of the way and counter him."
Watch Leon Edwards' full interview below:
Israel Adesanya is all set to face his longtime kickboxing rival, Alex Pereira, in an epic showdown at UFC 281. 'The Last Stylebender' will face 'Poatan' for the first time in an MMA fight in what will be his sixth title defense.
Pereira has defeated Adesanya twice before in kickboxing.
Khamzat Chimaev predicts Israel Adesanya as the winner of the main event at UFC 281
Khamzat Chimaev has picked Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 281. The Chechen-born Swede tweeted out his predictions for the main event, co-main event, and the Dustin Poirier–Michael Chandler fight.
UFC 281 features two title fights. Adesanya will defend his middleweight title against Pereira. Carla Esparza will hope to make her first successful title defense when she faces Zhang Weili for the women's strawweight title. The third-to-last fight on the card involves two lightweight superstars, Poirier and Chandler, going head-to-head, with the winner potentially getting the next title shot.
'Borz' picked Israel Adesanya, Dustin Poirier and Zhang Weili to emerge victorious against their opponents.
Khamzat Chimaev gives his prediction for the #UFC281 fights 🔮
#UFC #MMA | @ufc https://t.co/1ch2xPgNoS
Chimaev is expected to return to the octagon next year after Dana White revealed that the UFC is planning on pitting him against Colby Covington. According to White, Chimaev vs. Covington will be the co-main event when Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman's trilogy bout takes place in England next year.