Can Alex Pereira Call The Shots in Title Clash With Israel Adesanya?

Israel “Stylebender” Adesanya and Alex “Poatan” Pereira will square up for the main fight at the UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York next month.

Yet it is no longer as clear-cut as to which fighter will clinch the coveted middleweight belt in what is deemed a grudge match on November 12.

Undisputed kingpin Adesanya was regarded as the overwhelming favorite in UFC’s penultimate flagship event. However, there have been fun and games ever since as fight night fast approaches that include a YouTube video release from the champion.

Nigerian-New Zealander Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) faces arguably his biggest challenge to date when he takes on former kickboxing foe Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

Adesanya lost twice to the Brazilian during their kickboxing clashes. Pereira won on points, by a unanimous decision, in 2016 and was then victorious with a knockout in their rematch the following year.

Yet in the UFC it is a different kettle of fish, and both fighters possess a brutal left hook as their lethal weapon for what appears to be an intriguing battle.

The bookmakers originally had title challenger Pereira down as a strong favorite because he is a former two-weight GLORY kickboxing champion and his history against Adesanya. Yet the odds have drifted closer together for this battle, which is surely due to the sheer popularity of Adesanya.

Although Adesanya lost his first-ever UFC fight, he bounced back with aplomb to go on an unbeaten run of a dozen contests. In contrast, Pereira only made his UFC debut last year and following just a trio of triumphs he has earned a title shot against the Lagos-born 33-year-old.

Adesanya is widely perceived by many UFC fans as being virtually unbeatable after fending off the challenge of such illustrious stars as Derek Brunson, Paulo Costa, Anderson Silva, Martin Vettori, and Robert Whittaker.

Yet title challenger Pereira has the psychological advantage thanks to his two success stories, and he is arguably the better kickboxer.

While the 35-year-old has relied on his kickboxing skills during his brief foray in UFC, he also has the advantage that he can also grapple whereas Adesanya is not a grappler. This is why the latest UFC 281 odds on various PayPal betting sites give Pereira a 41.6% chance of defeating Adesanya, which is a US$140 profit on a US$100 wager on “Poatan”.

As defending champion, Adesanya is averaging -160 across the majority of sports betting apps. With the nickname of the “Stylebender”, it is anyone’s guess whether he will stick to his usual successful strategy or risk changing his style to attack the weaknesses of Pereira.

Both were impressive in their last bouts. Adesanya headlined the International Fight Week card with a unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pereira’s last outing saw him dispatch Sean Stickland with a stunning first-round knockout win.

Adesanya released a video trailer on YouTube to add to the hype of this highly anticipated bout, which will be his sixth middleweight title defense. Far from conceding that antagonist Pereira could provide him with problems again, Adesanya posted: “Good things come in threes.”

Henry Cejudo, a former two-weight UFC champion also took to social media to put his neck on the line. He posted on his YouTube channel: “I think Alex is gonna get it [win].”

Generally, the champion tends to call the shots in any fighting contest, irrelevant of the sport, yet this contest at UFC 281 seems to be a bit of a conundrum with both out to prove that they are the best martial arts expert in the world.

Whoever is ultimately crowned the 185-gold champion will earn plaudits, although the real winner from this fight will be the fans if this third bout between old adversaries Adesanya and Pereira is as thrilling as their previous battles.