"It will be a brutal fight for both guys" - John McCarthy suggests ideal next opponent for Alex Pereira
Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy recently shared his thoughts on who Alex Pereira should fight next. McCarthy believes Brad Tavares will be a good test for 'Poatan'. However, he is also interested in seeing Pereira match up against Sean Strickland.
'Big John' pointed out that Brad Tavares fought Israel Adesanya in the past and used his wrestling in that fight, so that might be a good test for 'Poatan'. However, the former referee thinks a fight against Sean Strickland next is also a good idea for Pereira. Here's what John McCarthy said while talking to Josh Thomson on the Weighing In podcast:
"Right now, the biggest problem for Alex is a guy who is the wrestler. I think Brad Tavares is a guy that'll prove exactly where he's at. Brad fought Izzy and tried to take Izzy down and kind of got him down and then he would work his way up from it. Had a hard time keeping him there. Can he do the same thing with Alex? Can he put Alex on his back? "
McCarthy further stated that the UFC has a chance to set up a massive fight between Adesanya and Pereira. They have fought twice before in kickboxing. 'Poatan' emerged victorious on both occasions, including a stunning knockout win against the middleweight champion. Here's what McCarthy added:
"I just look at right now, if you're the UFC, this is a guy you can build toward a major fight with Adesanya and so why are you gonna waste the opportunity? Put him against Sean Strickland. That'll show you where he's at the stand up because it will be a brutal fight for both guys and then put him against Izzy."
Watch John McCarthy talk about Alex Pereira's next UFC fight below:
Alex Pereira has gotten off to a perfect start to his UFC career
Pereira joined the UFC with an MMA record of 3-1. He earned a spectacular knockout finish against Andreas Michailidis in his promotional debut at UFC 268. He was also victorious in his second UFC appearance last weekend against Bruno Silva.
Watch Alex Pereira's octagon interview after his win against Bruno Silva:
'Poatan' issued a call out to Jared Cannonier after his victory against Silva. However, 'The Killa Gorilla' looks set to challenge 'The Last Stylebender' next for the middleweight championship. It will be interesting to see who Pereira fights the next time he steps into the octagon.