UFC 281: Ali Abdelaziz picks his winner for Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira
Ali Abdelaziz has predicted the outcome of the upcoming clash between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira in a recent tweet. The Egyptian MMA manager thinks Adesanya will get the better of Pereira when they meet inside the octagon on November 12 at UFC 281.
I think Pereira is very good and can knock anybody out, but I also think Adesanya is too slick, too experienced and he is the champion for a reason, Iām going to pick Adesanya to win this fight #UFC281
While acknowledging that the Brazilian is a dangerous knockout artist, Abdelaziz said he's picking Adesanya to win because of the latter's advantage in experience and his efficient methods of fighting.
Israel Adesanya will make his sixth title defense against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 this weekend. The two fighters have a history between them, with 'Poatan' beating 'The Last Stylebender' twice in the sport of kickboxing. Pereira also remains the only fighter to ever beat Adesanya via knock-out.
The only man to stop Israel Adesanya is now in the UFC.
Alex Pereira knocked out the middleweight champ in the Stylebender's last kickboxing match.
Poatan makes his MMA debut at UFC 268 š„ https://t.co/4qLis4dndm
Their next fight will be the first time they face each other in an MMA bout. While Pereira has only seven MMA fights with six wins and one loss on the record, Adesanya has more octagon experience with twenty-four MMA fights, losing only once.
It remains to be seen if Abdelaziz's prediction will come true, but it certainly promises to be an enthralling affair for the fans.
Israel Adesanya looks back at his knockout loss to Alex Pereira in 2017
Israel Adesanya is gearing up to face his old nemesis, Alex Pereira, at UFC 281 where he will look to defend the middleweight title.
In a recent interview with BT Sport UFC, the Nigerian-born Kiwi was asked about his last fight against Pereira at Glory of Heroes 7 in Brazil, which ended with Adesanya getting knocked out in the third round.
Adesanya stated :
"I was younger and I was silly. The fight prior to that, when I fought for the world title in kickboxing. I got ripped off as well. I let those things get to me and when I had him on the ropes, I was like, right, I'm not leaving it to the judges. I'm going to finish the fight. That's never been my mentality."
: Freestylebender / Israel Adesanya "I was young and I was silly... that's never been my mentality"
@stylebender reflects on his KO loss to Alex Pereira ahead of #UFC281 š
š¹: Freestylebender / Israel Adesanya
#UFC281 | Saturday | BT Sport 2 https://t.co/PjSeDbeYq1
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira first fought each other in Shenzhen, China, in 2016 at Glory of Heroes 1. Pereira bested Adesanya via unanimous decision. In a rematch held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2017, 'Poatan' managed to get the knockout against 'The Last Stylebender' in round three.
Their next face-off comes at UFC 281 this weekend. Only time will tell if Adesanya avenges his prior losses or if Pereira secures his third win over the middleweight champion.