Brandon Marshall drops $100,000 bet on outcome of UFC 287 showdown between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira
Come tomorrow, all eyes will be on Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, and Brandon Marshall has already put his money where his mouth is. He has wagered that come the end of the fight, "Izzy" Adesanya will be towering over his vanquished opponent.
To show that he meant business, he brought $100,000 in physical dollar bills to prove his backing. Standing in front of the man he expects to win, he announced that he was backing Israel Adesanya over Alex Pereira, calling the former 'the king'. Brandon Marshall said,
“$100,000 on Izzy, I’m riding with the king, you see it, $100,000, let’s go.”
: @ESPNMMABrandon Marshall is betting $100K on Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) to defeat Alex Pereira @ #UFC287 🤯
🎥: @ESPNMMA https://t.co/QzYadUYGOf
Is Brandon Marshall foolish not to back Alex Pereira over Israel Adesanya?
When Brandon Marshall met Israel Adesanya, the fighter told him that he could bet on him because he was willing to bet his life that he was going to win. That is some confidence and the former NFL Pro Bowler seems convinced.
But the records might indicate otherwise. Adesanya is a phenomenal combatant. He started his career in kickboxing before moving on to mixed martial arts. In kickboxing, he has a 75-5 win-loss record and is a former GLORY middleweight champion.
However, among his five losses, two came against Alex Pereira. He has also only ever been knocked out once in his kickboxing career, and then came in his second loss to the same opponent.
Since, moving to mixed martial arts, Israel Adesanya has been virtually unstoppable, and hence the reason for Brandon Marshall calling him the king. However, his first loss in the middleweight category came in November last year, and once again it was versus Alex Pereira. This is a rematch, but it seems Pereira has Adesanya's measure, whether it is kickboxing or mixed martial arts.
Alex Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) is currently 3-0 against Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) having beaten him twice in kickboxing & most recently in MMA.
How will the 4th fight end?
Will Poatan go 4-0 or Will Stylebender get one back?
#UFC287 https://t.co/z1dTNk5KDa
That is why Brandon Marshall coming out and backing him will mean a huge deal to Israel Adesanya. To have the backing of someone who has become a sort of mentor for many athletes is never bad. Marshall's House of Athletes gym has been focused on holistic mental and physical wellbeing for athletes all across the sporting spectrum.
On the flipside, it might motivate Alex Pereira even more to come out and prove his doubters wrong. So far, he has had his opponent's number, but now there is a huge bet riding on it. The fact that it comes from an NFL legend raises the stakes even higher. We will know soon enough if he can overcome them.