UFC 281: "I'm the better grappler"- Israel Adesanya talks about the possible grappling exchanges in his upcoming fight with Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya believes he is a better grappler than Alex Pereira.
Adesanya and Pereira will add another chapter to their rivalry at UFC 281. Before transitioning to MMA, the UFC 281 main event fighters fought twice in Kickboxing, with the Brazilian winning both times. The latter of the two fights ended with a vicious KO. The MMA community expects a high-level striking fight on November 12, but some have wondered what will happen if their striking isn't as much of a factor.
‘The Last Stylebender’ has fought in seventeen more MMA fights than Pereira. With that said, ‘Poatan’ has been training with Glover Teixeira for a long time, and Adesanya hasn’t shown off his grappling often. During an episode of UFC 281 Embedded, the middleweight world champion had this to say:
“There’s gonna be violence in this fight without a doubt, but I’ll be a tactician as I do. I’m gonna jab him, kick him in the legs, couple right hands, leg kick, pop pop. Yeah, I’m a better grappler, but it’s not even a point to prove. It’s just I’m the better striker overall. Yeah, he caught me. I never ever once said it was a lucky shot, ever. I’ve always given him credit for that. He set it up nicely. Great story for him. I’ve never ever in my life said it was a lucky shot, but if he shoots, you know, if we engage in the clinch, I can trip him up. If he shoots, choke him out.”
Adesanya has never won by submission. Neither has Pereira. There’s a stereotype about similar styles canceling each other out, but the bad blood between ‘The Last Stylebender’ and ‘Poatan’ will likely reach expectations with a standup match.
Watch Israel Adesanya discuss grappling with Alex Pereira below:
Israel Adesanya labels Alex Pereira as one-dimensional
Alex Pereira’s wins against Israel Adesanya in Kickboxing have been discussed more often than Pereira’s lack of MMA experience. Although ‘Poatan’ has unbelievable power labeled the "touch of death," Adesanya’s experience incorporating different aspects of MMA could pay dividends.
More than just another title fight ⚔️
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During an ESPN MMA interview, Adesanya had this to say about Pereira:
“He’s very one-dimensional. He’s early on in this game as well, so I’m even glad to get him now, and yeah, he’s early on in this game.”
Adesanya’s destruction of the UFC middleweight division could come down to Pereira. However, ‘Poatan’ has one thing that other title challengers in the past don't: a win over the champion.