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UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira is in a strange position.
Although currently slated to face Israel Adesanya for the second time in MMA and fourth time overall, he has proven himself to be the better man time and time again. However, a 3-0 record on “Stylebender,” which includes two knockout wins, doesn’t necessarily make him the best champion in the UFC. That doesn’t mean Pereira could defeat every man Adesanya has defeated or eliminate the middleweight division in the same way.
This has yet to be proven, and a lot of middleweight opportunities smack of the current champ. Everyone from Bellator’s Johnny Eblen to Khamzat Chimaev would like an “easy fight” against the former Glory Kickboxing champ.
Pereira is not deaf to this discourse. In response, “Poatan” takes a stand against those who would label him a struggling rookie. The Brazilian holds a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, and he also cites his withdrawal against ‘Stylebender’ as proof that he is more than just a kickboxer.
“The people talking about it are the people who never attacked (me), who trained with (me),” Pereira said. ESPN though a performer (via MMAJunkie). “All the guys that come in and ride with (me), wrestle, do MMA, they walk away very surprised and say, ‘Man, I didn’t know he could wrestle like that. But (I) don’t try not to prove anything to anyone. (I) just do (my) thing, but stay tuned for the future.
He continued, “People say (I) can’t wrestle, but hardly anyone could be able to take Israel down with a takedown. (I) shot him, so what’s going on? »
To Pereira’s credit, the defense rate against Adesanya’s withdrawal stands at 77%. More experienced grapplers like Marvin Vettori and Yoel Romero failed to find any real success dragging Adesanya to the canvas, so his takedown and control is a feather in his cap.
It remains to be seen if wrestling is a factor in their rematch, which is scheduled for UFC 287 on April 8.
Insomnia
I don’t know why Bruno Silva struggled so much against Gerald Meerschaert, but I hope he can perform better here.
SWEEP!
Paulo Costa’s meme game remains unmatched.
Hopefully Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis isn’t delayed any further.
Is this really a match of genius? I would watch it.
Apparently things got a little chaotic at Bellator 290!
Liam Harrison has a story or two from his long career in professional Muay Thai.
Andre Fili was forced to pull out of his fight this month due to unexpected eye surgery. Frightening!
Slips, tears and KO clips
Yair Rodriguez is obviously an exceptionally talented fighter with a unique skill set, but I once saw his fighting style described as “button mashing”, well… that’s not really true!
Attracted a reaction and made him pay!
Add this message to the “Talk shit, get hit” file.
Random terrain
I’m not so sure about this one.
Midnight Music: Pop, 1962
Sleep well fools! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
#Midnight #Mania #Shut #Haters #Poatan #struggle
