Israel Adesanya will face a tough test at UFC 281 against old rival Alex Pereira.
UFC 281 will feature a third matchup between Israel Adesanya and rival Alex Pereira in the Main event for the UFC middleweight championship. Adesanya and Pereira For twice before in a kickboxing rules match. Now the two are set for an epic trilogy match this time under mixed martial arts rules. While Pereira won the first two bouts, Israel Adesanya is a whole different beast today. The question now remains whether or not the dominant UFC middleweight champion will be able to get revenge on his old rival Pereira.
The History
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira original locked horns under the Glory of Heroes kickboxing promotion back in 2016. The fight was quite a controversial one particularly because many believed Adesanya Did enough to earn a victory. However it would be Perera who took the win by controversial unanimous decision. Since that fight both men went their separate ways and continued their kickboxing journeys in separate promotions.
The two would eventually meet once again the following year at Glory of Heroes 7 Held in São Paulo, Brazil. This second fight played out far differently than the first. We Saw a far more aggressive Israel Adesanya who had just recently come off of a loss against one time glory kickboxing champion Jason Wilnis. Alex Pereira was also equally as aggressive as he came forward with a tremendous amount of pressure in the first round of the rematch. After winning both the first and second rounds, Adesanya was the clear favorite to win. Adesanya even hurt Pereira in the second round.
Unfortunately for Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira had different plans that night. It would be Barrera who came out victorious as he landed a vicious left hook knocking Adesanya out cold. Adesanya would retire from kickboxing after this bout and switch to mixed martial arts where he climbed the ranks and eventually became the UFC middleweight champion. Much in the same vain, Pereira would also switch to MMA, work his way up and now sees himself in a match up with old rival for the third time.
UFC 281
Now Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira are set to meet for a third time under MMA rules. This matchup is intriguing because many believe that Adesanya has already reached all time great status. But now he is faced with a man who has defeated him twice in the Kickboxing arena. With dangerous power, accurate counter punching, Pereira could be the biggest threat that Adesanya has faced in his MMA career.
If Israel Adesanya hopes to get revenge at UFC 281 you’ll have to utilize a great deal of volume and keep Alex Pereira at bay. Adesanya should look to pick him apart from the outside and land hard shots up the middle. Prayer on the other hand should be looking to pressure Adesanya, lame solid leg kicks, and eventually utilize his big left hook to potentially close the show.
No matter who you think will win this weekend’s middleweight championship fight what is certain is that it sure to be an exciting affair.
For the full detailed breakdown take a look at the video below.
Will you be watching UFC 281 Israel Adesanya versus Alex Pereira this weekend?
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
