Former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira has predicted that Sean Strickland can beat Israel Adesanya when the two fight in Sydney on September 10th.
Adesanya reclaimed the middleweight belt by finishing Pereira in their rematch earlier this year at UFC 287 on April 9.
Before hoisting the middleweight title, Pereira earned the title shot by knocking out Strickland at UFC 276. The win propelled him to a comeback win over Adesanya at UFC 281.
Pereira is now a light heavyweight and doesn’t foresee a return to middleweight anytime soon. Despite this, he’s keeping a close eye on how Adesanya’s bout against Strickland plays out.
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Pereira gave his opinion on the UFC 293 main event.
“Adesanya is definitely a strong fighter, very hard fight for Strickland,” Pereira said.
“But Strickland is at the top right now, and out of the top guys, Strickland has the best chance to beat Adesanya.”
Pereira then hinted that a UFC light heavyweight title shot is next for him.
“I’m for sure going to fight for the belt, that’s already set with the UFC with the last fight, and that’s it,” he said.
The UFC light heavyweight title is expected to be vacated by Jamahal Hill after suffering an Achilles injury earlier this year. Pereira could potentially face Jiří Procházka next for the UFC belt, although nothing has been announced by the promotion.
Strickland got the title shot after Dricus du Plessis said he couldn’t make the quick turnaround for a matchup with Adesanya. Strickland defeated Abus Magomedov in his most recent fight in July.
As for Pereira, he’s inching closer to a return at light heavyweight and will look to continue a successful run at 205lbs.
Punch/Jamiu Ogunshe
