"That last one brought it to a Five" – Israel Adesanya rates Alex Pereira's MMA career up to this point
Israel Adesanya rates Alex Pereira’s MMA career as a five out of ten.
Tensions in the MMA community are rapidly increasing now that UFC 281 Fight Week is here. The main event features Adesanya defending the UFC middleweight title against Pereira, who has beaten ‘The Last Stylebender’ twice in kickboxing.
Adesanya posted an interview with Dave Blakamoto on his YouTube channel and had this to say when asked to rate Pereira’s MMA career thus far:
“I don’t know about his MMA career, I never watched until he got in the UFC. Like a four. Four or five. I think that last one brought it to a 5.”
Pereira signed with the UFC in 2021, holding a pro MMA record of 3-1. ‘Poatan’ put the division on notice by taking out Andreas Michailidis and Bruno Silva. The Brazilian kickboxer then sparked Sean Strickland to earn a title shot against Adesanya. Meanwhile, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has dominated the UFC middleweight division, waiting for his nemesis to arrive.
Watch Israel Adesanya rate Alex Pereira's MMA career in the YouTube video below:
Israel Adesanya predicts a knockout win against Alex Pereira
Given Israel Adesanya’s generational striking skills, some fans are demanding a finish from him at UFC 281 after three consecutive decision wins. ‘The Last Stylebender’ did an interview with TMZ Sports and had this to say about knocking out Alex Pereira:
"I want to be the first person he sees when he wakes up. I want to make sure I'm right in his line of sight so that when he wakes up, he's looking at me and then looking at the ref and... I want to be the first person he sees when he wakes up... that's how I see this fight going."
Adesanya is currently a -180 betting favorite, with Pereira as the +155 underdog, according to DraftKings. That said, ‘Poatan’ could have a mental edge, courtesy of his two kickboxing wins against the UFC middleweight champion. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has an opportunity to silence the doubters and avenge his kickboxing losses in one fight.
Next week. The yearly PPV at the Madison Square Garden Arena in New York. #UFC281 https://t.co/CaQquOibVp
Watch the UFC 281 Countdown video featuring Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira below: