Alex Pereira feels like he’s one win away from challenging the champion.
Pereira believes he has a high chance of getting a title shot if he dispatches Sean Strickland in his next outing at UFC 276. Israel Adesanya is set to return to action as the favorite in the headlining match on the same card. The reigning UFC middleweight king will take on Jared Cannonier for a title fight.
Alex Pereira is confident he will get the title shot
Having fought six times in his professional MMA career, Pereira is relatively fresh to the scene. He only has two bouts under the UFC and is already being touted for a showdown with the divisional champion. Fans have been clamoring to see the former Glory middleweight and light heavyweight double champion compete against Adesanya.
He is slated to face the fourth-ranked contender Strickland in his next fight. The winner of their contest will likely get a title shot depending on who comes out on top of the main event.
Speaking to MMA Junkie through a translator, Alex Pereira expressed his confidence about fighting for the promotional gold.
“Whoever wins this fight will get whoever is the champion next. And it’s great because I have a clear path ahead for me, I already know what will be next and that makes me very excited.”
‘Poatan’ is the only man to have knocked out Adesanya in any sport. He achieved the tremendous feat in a kickboxing match and also holds a total of two wins over him.
Pereira backs Jared Cannonier’s chances of KO’ing Israel Adesanya
Pereira acknowledged that Adesanya is the favorite but believes Cannonier has a good shot of knocking him out. Adesanya will need to be careful to not get caught or he may get dethroned says his former adversary.
“I think Adesanya is the favorite, but everything can happen in a fight. If he makes a mistake he can get caught and be knocked out. I can’t see him losing by decision, but I think Cannonier has a real chance of knocking him out or submitting him – more likely knocking him out.
“But I believe Adesanya is the favorite. In the end, it doesn’t matter to me who wins that fight, My goal is the belt. So good fight for them. I’m very confident I’ll be the challenger of the winner next.”
If Izzy manages to hold on to his strap, the dream fight with Pereira might just become a reality. The 34-year-old Brazilian recognizes the faith the UFC put in him and wants to live up to the expectations.
“We see there’s an interest of getting me to fight to the title, especially if Adesanya is the champion, as everyone has been talking about it. But to me, no matter who is there, I want to be the champion. But the UFC thinking like this is (all good) with me.”
Alex Pereira will take on Sean Strickland on July 2 at UFC 276. The event will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier.
