It seems like Sean Strickland isn’t leaving any stone unturned for his first middleweight title defense. A video posted on social media showed that ‘Tarzan’ will have a surprise addition in his corner for his fight against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. Moreover, it will be none other than his former rival and two-division champion Alex Pereira.

After losing to Alex Pereira at UFC 276, Sean Strickland decided to train with ‘Poatan’  in a bid to become a better fighter. They’ve since developed a great relationship with each other. Keeping that in mind, the light heavyweight champion has decided to be by Sean Strickland’s side at the first UFC 2024 pay-per-view event.

Sean Strickland to have Alex Pereira in his corner at UFC 297

The reigning middleweight champion more often than not has people from his gym, Xtreme Couture, corner him during his fight. However, video clips on social media confirmed that his former rival Alex Pereira will be there in his corner for the first time, along with his team. The Brazilian is in Canada and has been in attendance at UFC 297.

This revelation comes as a surprise as many people were talking about a possible Israel Adesanya appearance as well. However, the light heavyweight champion was also there to support the middleweight champion during the pre-fight press conference.

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Alex Pereira cornering Sean Strickland may not be what the fans are expecting. Nevertheless, it would make for a pleasant sight to see ‘Tarzan’ getting support from a rival against whom he lost by a vicious knockout.

Besides the news of ‘Poatan’ cornering Strickland, the 205-pound champion also predicted a win for Sean Strickland against Dricus du Plessis. Let’s see what he had to say.

Pereira predicts first title defense victory for his former rival

During an interview with Nina Marie-Daniele, she caught up with Alex Pereira to ask for his prediction for the main event fight at UFC 297. Without skipping a beat, he favored Sean Strickland to win, claiming that he had a lot of confidence in the advantages ‘Tarzan’ had in terms of his skills.

He said, “Sean Strickland [will win]. This man, we fought together, we train together I know his advantages [and] I’m with him 100 percent.”

When Mariel-Daniele asked Alex Pereira how he thought the fight would end. He mentioned wanting to witness a knockout, but he also wants Sean Strickland to go all the way and stay sharp throughout the entire five rounds.

But Pereira won’t be surprised to see the fight getting over in two rounds. “I’m hopeful he [Strickland] will win. I want him to make all five rounds in good shape. But I feel that, by the second round, he will be able to knock out du Plessis,” ‘Poatan’ added.

Watch This Story: TW Watch: Sean Strickland Threatens To Stab Dricus Du Plessis if UFC Star Bring Up His Abusive Father in Trash Talk

With a former rival and champion’s support, Sean Strickland looks to have a lot of momentum on his side. However, Dricus du Plessis is hellbent on getting to the epitome of the division and becoming the first South African champion in the UFC.

What are your predictions for the fight? Drop your comments below.

Read More: “I Hit My Dad… Broke His Nose” – Living With Abusive Father, Sean Strickland Confessed to Joe Rogan About a Dark Interaction During Teenage