Watch: When Alex Pereira cornered Anderson Silva for Israel Adesanya fight
In an incredible clip that surfaced recently, Alex Pereira can be seen in Anderson Silva's corner for the middleweight veteran's fight against Israel Adesanya.
In a clip posted on Instagram, Pereira can be seen in Silva's corner during the Brazilian legend's bout against Adesanya at UFC 234. The post also has a humourous caption that reads:
"Fine, I'll do it myself."
In the video, we can see Silva getting advice from his coaches and cornermen in-between rounds as Pereira stands right outside the cage. 'Poatan' can also be seen giving Silva some advice as the 47-year old looks on.
Check out the video below:
Israel Adesanya emerged victorious against 'The Spider', defeating him via unanimous decision.
However, it comes as a surprise to many that the new middleweight champion was one of the cornermen for Silva during UFC 234. It certainly adds a layer to the history between Pereira and Adesanya, with the caption humourously suggesting that the Brazilian decided to step into the MMA octagon to beat The 'Last Stylebender' since no one else could.
alex pereira was in the corner of anderson silva for his fight vs adesanya at ufc 234 https://t.co/ZOKUm3CAiP
Alex Pereira got the better of his old kickboxing rival, Israel Adesanya, at UFC 281 and was crowned the new king of the middleweight division.
The two fighters have shared a sour history, with the Brazilian defeating Adesanya twice in the past. With a 3-0 record over the Nigerian-born Kiwi, Pereira also remains the only fighter to ever knock out 'The Last Stylebender'.
With that in mind, it's no surprise that Silva employed Pereira's help for his own clash with Adesanya.
Michael Bisping believes Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira stoppage decision was the right one
Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281. While it looked like the Nigerian-born Kiwi was on his way to another successful title defense, Pereira managed to land a left hook on Adesanya in the fifth round and wobbled him, proceeding to barrage him with shots until the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
While Adesanya did not blame the referee for an early stoppage, the former middleweight champion did seem distraught at the fact he wasn't given more time.
youtu.be/6F0zh8F_K7YIsrael Adesanya says he doesn't blame referee Marc Goddard for his stoppage, but was "fine" when it was stopped. #TheMMAHour
"You reffed the [Kelvin] Gastelum fight. You’ve seen where I can go to. You should have that kind of faith in me.”
▶️ youtu.be/6F0zh8F_K7Y https://t.co/5JFR405j9I
However, Michael Bisping gave his take on the stoppage and claimed that the referee, Marc Goddard, did a fine job of stopping the contest when he did. In a video on YouTube, he said:
“To be honest, I don’t think it was stopped early... If I were Israel, I’d be pretty annoyed. I love Marc Goddard, he’s one of the best in the business...I think at that level of the game, you can let it go a little bit longer, but fighter’s safety is absolutely paramount."
He continued:
"Izzy was looking at the floor, but he was on the feet and kind of moving the head. So that is somewhat defensive. But still, nonetheless, it still wasn’t a bad stoppage.”
Watch Michael Bisping's full reaction below: