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“The UFC Had a Hard Time Finding Me an Opponent”- Alex Pereira States Only Two Fighters Were Willing to Step in the Octagon With Him

Published 12/31/2021, 8:30 AM EST

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Alex Pereira is one of the biggest prospects in the UFC right now. The former two-division GLORY champion made a statement on his debut in the promotion. ‘Po Atan’ faced the Greek fighter, Andreas Michailidis, at UFC 268 and finished him spectacularly.

He landed a devastating, well-timed flying knee that sent his opponent crashing to the floor. The kickboxing legend is now preparing to face Brazilian fighter Bruno Silva at UFC Fight Night 204. However, according to Pereira, it was difficult for the UFC to find an opponent for him.

He said, “I asked to fight again soon, but it wasn’t easy. The UFC had a hard time finding me an opponent and, in the end, only two accepted to fight me, Jotko and Blindado. Jotko is a notorious lay-and-pray (fighter) who’s in the UFC for almost 10 years and isn’t even ranked.”

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“So we thought that the Blindado fight would be more interesting since he’s on the rise in the UFC, is coming off seven connective knockouts and three in the organization. I think it’s a great fight for both of us and for the fans, for sure.”

 

“I’ve never spoken badly about jiu-jitsu or wrestling at any moment. As a matter of fact, I’ve been training a lot and for a long time with Glover and I like both sports. My criticism was aimed at Jotko’s style, a brown belt in jiu-jitsu who only has one submission in 23 wins, and 16 decisions,” he added.

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“I’ll fight anyone, but if I have the chance to choose between [that] and a fight that’s more stylistically pleasant for me and the fans, of course, I’ll choose this. No one likes watching boring fights.”

Alex Pereira vs. Bruno Silva

Alex Pereira made quite an impression on his debut. He’s tipped to be the next big thing in the UFC’s middleweight division. The Brazilian fighter is going to make his second appearance in the UFC soon.

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He will take on fellow Brazilian and a man that is known for his knockouts, Bruno Silva. ‘Blindado’ has won 19 of his 22 fights via T/KO and is currently on a seven-fight win streak. He made his UFC debut in 2021 and has been on a tear. He has won three fights in 2021, and all of them via knockout. Silva will be a challenge for Pereira, who is known for striking abilities.

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We know Pereira for being the only guy to knock out the current UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. If he gets a few impressive wins under his belt, he will definitely become a top contender in the division.

How do you see the fight between Pereira and Silva going? Let us know in the comments below!

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Written by:

Arunaditya Aima

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Arunaditya is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Multimedia Journalism from IIJNM, Arunaditya aspires to be an important voice in the world of MMA and interview the likes of Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, and other such superstars of the sport. He has followed the sport for over a decade and is an ardent fan of Georges St-Pierre, who he believes is the greatest of all time.
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