Chael Sonnen is one of the most reputed figures in the MMA world. Sonnen has fought for multiple MMA promotions, including the UFC. He also runs his own YouTube channel which boasts a whopping more than 1M subscribers. He mostly talks about stuff related to the fight game, sometimes even out of the UFC. In one of his recent videos, Sonnen went on a breakdown of the highly anticipated main event of the UFC 281.

‘The American Gangster’ went on to analyze the happenings right from the beginning which led to the Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

Chael Sonnen said Israel Adesanya had picked his opponent himself

Sonnen reminded the UFC audience, “Dana White did not make this match.” He also said, “we did, the audience did.”

Sonnen explained that Sean Strickland was expected to be the next title challenger. But Pereira went on to defeat Strickland via a TKO. Thus, Pereira was most likely to replace Strickland as the no. 1 contender.

He also said, “we decide that it’s gonna be him vs Izzy,” pointing to the fact that this matchup was set once Pereira knocked out Strickland.

Sonnen iterated, “Izzy Adesanya never left the ring without making clear who his next opponent is going to be.” A lot of fans would actually agree with this.

Talking about Adesanya’s post-fight interview, Sonnen stated, “When Joe Rogan interviews him, Joe comes very light.” He also quoted Rogan saying, “who do you think should be next, there’s a lot of good options out there.” Sonnen also quoted Adesanya, saying, “Next is Pereira”. 

Referring to Adesanya, ‘The American Gangster’ also exclaimed that “he stepped right in front of it”. The UFC was quick to place this bout as the main event of their next showdown.

It was said that Adesanya might not accept to fight Pereira since he was scared. But Sonnen said, “So the idea that Izzy was sidestepping and was scared, I don’t know what’s factually correct.”

Alex Pereira joined MMA to hunt for Israel Adesanya

The main event of the UFC 281 is actually a much-awaited bout for Alex Pereira. Both, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira come from kickboxing backgrounds. However, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was early to transition to MMA and make a name for himself.

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Sonnen said, “I believe Pereira is very sincere that when he left kickboxing. And came to MMA, he was coming after Izzy”. The two had previously faced off inside the kickboxing ring twice, with Adesanya facing losses.

Sonnen also iterated, “I believe, Izzy ho got to MMA and got to the top of excellence and noticed that Pereira was following on his footsteps and I don’t think he minded”.

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But in a competitive sport like MMA, people are never going to be satisfied with the second spot. Hence, Pereira also needed to win over Adesanya to prove that he was the best kickboxer who transitioned to MMA.

Who do you think will emerge victorious in the Adesanya vs Pereira UFC 281 bout?