- Alex Pereira suspects Israel Adesanya is confident Dricus Du Plessis is easier to beat than Robert Whittaker
- “Poatan” is not convinced Izzy still wants to fight him for the third time
The middleweight title eliminator bout between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis is already set for UFC 290. Ahead of the match, former 185-pound king Alex Pereira said Israel Adesanya would want Du Plessis to win because he knows “Stillknocks” is way easier than Whittaker.
Izzy going for the easy
Speaking on his YouTube channel, “Poatan” shared his speculations about how things could pan out in the middleweight division. Pereira thinks Adesanya is rooting for Du Plessis to beat Whittaker so he can make history by torching a less dangerous fighter in “Stillknocks.”
For Pereira, it wouldn’t be the case if Whittaker wins as even Izzy knows “The Reaper” could beat him in their third fight.
“I think Whittaker will win this fight,” Pereira assessed. “He is the big favorite he has already made several fights with great fighters and against Adesanya, he also made two great fights. But for Du Plessis, I wouldn’t say for sure but his chance is minimal against Whittaker. We saw the last fight of Du Plessis right? He is a guy who at the end of the first round was very tired so how a guy like that will fight five rounds against [Whittaker]- if he passes – it would be Adesanya. I think impossible.”
“Whittaker, he is different and has already proven this so I think there is a big difference,” he continued. “If Du Plessis wins. I think it will be a massacre. Adesanya knows this. He wants to make history. He wants to have an easy fight. For me, it’s Du Plessis, he is way easier than Whittaker. He wants to make history and collect wins and he knows it’s a good fight for him. Now Whittaker, he already knows it is difficult. In my opinion, both were hard fights even having that knockout in the first fight. In the second fight was a harder fight. I am sure that Whittaker will be better in a third fight, if not win. Of course, Adesanya is difficult, I think Adesanya is the favorite.”
Pereira is certain Whittaker gained more confidence after witnessing how he dethroned Adesanya at UFC 281.
“But a third fight, I think Whittaker will be very dangerous even more knowing that Adesanya, he loses right – he is not an invincible guy, he loses – he already lost a few times, lost in kickboxing and I showed that in MMA – so for sure this will give Whittaker more confidence,” Pereira pointed out.
“I think he just has to do some adjustments,” he said of Whittaker. “Just has to do some things there details, some techniques, a good kick, defense, if he improves this I am sure he will give a lot of work for Adesanya and can be the next champion.”
Alex thinks Adesanya is not interested in a trilogy fight with him
After Adesanya reclaims his title at UFC 287, he and Pereira have been throwing jabs at each other. However, the Brazilian thinks that Izzy is only talking about him because he is savoring the moment of becoming champion again but is no longer interested in running it back.
For Pereira, it’s the UFC’s call to make a third fight between him and Adesanya happen but until then, he will be focused on the light heavyweight division.
“I don’t know if Adesanya has this interest but if I want, the UFC wants [a trilogy fight], it’s already two points there so if the UFC gets there this year and says, you [Adesanya] are promoting a lot, speaking a lot, then we’ll have to fight. I don’t know if he will accept sincerely, I don’t know, I believe he won’t because soon after the fight you saw that he didn’t do any promotion to give me an immediate rematch. So the first opportunity that he had, he said no, forget Alex, he will have to do something for us to have a next fight, right? So I think he just wants to provoke me and is not promoting [a rematch]. I think he is doing it without intention right?, he is talking posting things every second right. As I said taking advantage of this moment of him, but I think if he would know that with all this he is facilitating us to have a third fight, I think he would not do all this and as I said right?,” Pereira explained.
“My focus now is the light heavyweight right. That is my intention,” he added.
If Whittaker wins, it would be the third time he and Adesanya will meet each other inside the Octagon. In their first two bouts, Adesanya beat Whittaker.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, has been Izzy’s title challenger of choice, having been engaged in a verbal war with the champ as of late.
