Alex Pereira has a legendary rivalry with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya that goes back to their kickboxing days. Of the five losses in Adesanya’s 80-fight kickboxing career, two came at the hands of ‘Poatan’.

Motivated in part by ‘Izzy’ trash-talking him, Pereira joined the UFC, where he went on to defeat Adesanya in a shock victory, at UFC 281, becoming the new UFC middleweight champion. However, amid his ongoing beef with Anthony Smith, not one to sit on his laurels, ‘Poatan’ set his eyes on a bigger challenge.

Alex Pereira slated to fight Jiri Prochazka next for the vacant 205 lbs title

After his loss to Adesanya in their second encounter, Pereira moved up to light heavyweight and made his debut at 205 lbs against Polish opponent Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. The two went at it for the full three rounds, but Pereira was able to squeak through with a split decision. And in a recent interview with ‘The Schmo’ on YouTube, he reiterated that he will be fighting for the title next, per a prior understanding with the UFC.

“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,” Pereira said.

Jamahal Hill vacated the light heavyweight after he suffered an Achilles injury earlier this year. Former champion Jiri Prochazka, who himself had vacated the title after an injury, is widely speculated to be the 36-year-old’s next opponent.

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Pereira’s predictions for Adesanya vs. Strickland

Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya will face each other at UFC 293 this Sunday. Pereira has faced both men, defeating Strickland in half a round at UFC 276, while his record against ‘Izzy’ in MMA stands at 1-1. ‘Poatan’ stated that while Adesanya would be a difficult opponent, Strickland is at the top of his game, giving him as good a chance as he’s going to get to beat the middleweight champion.

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“Adesanya is definitely a strong fighter, very hard fight for Strickland. But Strickland is at the top right now, and out of the top guys, Strickland has the best chance to beat Adesanya,” he told the interviewer.

Many were curious to see whether Pereira’s power would translate to the higher weight class. However, Blachowicz seemed intent on keeping the fight on the ground as much as he could. But a fight against Prochazka, known for his dynamic striking, would be a very interesting fight.

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