"If he doesn't fight with his ego, he'll get f***ed up" - Israel Adesanya weighs in on Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya believes that Sean Strickland needs to "fight with his ego" to stand a chance against Alex Pereira at UFC 276.
Strickland, of course, is one of the most polarizing fighters in the UFC. While Strickland's fans praise him for his candor, his detractors dislike him for his outlandish takes and over-the-top persona.
As far as Adesanya is concerned, however, the only way for 'Tarzan' to beat Pereira is to bring his edgy mentality with him come fight night. Asked to comment on the matchup during his UFC 276 Media Day press conference, Adesanya told James Lynch of Sporskeeda MMA:
"I think, honestly, if I'm being honest, he might get f***ed up, Strickland. If he doesn't fight with his ego, he'll get f***ed up."
Catch Israel Adesanya's full press conference interview below or check out more UFC 276 interviews on the Sportskeeda YouTube page.
Adesanya will look to defend his middleweight title for the fifth time in the main event of UFC 276. If the Nigeria-born Kiwi can get past Jared Cannonier, he is expected to face the winner of the Pereira vs. Strickland matchup.
'The Last Stylebender' is no stranger to the Brazilian contender, of course. The pair have met before during their kickboxing days, with Pereira owning two wins and a devastating knockout over the reigning UFC middleweight king.
Israel Adesanya questions odds for Alex Pereira vs. Sean Strickland
Israel Adesanya believes the betting odds for Alex Pereira vs. Sean Strickland may be inaccurate.
Saturday night will only be Pereira's seventh professional MMA fight and third appearance in the octagon. Strickland, the underdog, has 22 more MMA fights than his opponent. Still, several oddsmakers have given Pereira a 57% chance of winning the middleweight clash.
Check out the odds below:
Early odds for July's loaded UFC 276 card:
Israel Adesanya (c) -330
Jared Cannonier +270
Alexander Volkanovski (c) -185
Max Holloway +160
Miesha Tate -160
Lauren Murphy +140
Alex Pereira -125
Sean Strickland +105
Sean O'Malley -215
Pedro Munhoz +185 https://t.co/aJK1rGbhhL
Taking everything into consideration, the reigning middleweight champion questioned the legitimacy of the betting line as well as the oddsmakers altogether. He told Sportskeeda MMA:
"Underdog... I didn't even know that. But am I surprised? Oddsmakers do what the oddsmakers do. Same with the guys who actually make the pound-for-pound rankings and all that s***. I never got a straight answer. It's the same thing. Who makes these odds? What have they done? What do they know? What's their credentials? So they can put the odds at whatever they want."