LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 02: Alex Pereira of Brazil looks on before his middleweight bout against Sean Strickland during UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
We take a look at whether Alex Pereira cornered Anderson Silva for his fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 234
In the main event of UFC 234, undefeated middleweight contender Israel Adesanya defeated one of his fighting idols, future Hall of Famer Anderson Silva. While losing a majority decision, Silva demonstrated that at age 43, he still has some gas left in the tank. However, little known fact, future UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira cornered Anderson Silva for the fight.
The current middleweight champion was one of Silva’s cornermen at UFC 234, which has caught many by surprise.
At UFC 281, Alex Pereira defeated his longtime kickboxing opponent Israel Adesanya and was declared the division’s new champion. The Brazilian has defeated Adesanya twice in the past, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two combatants. With a 3-0 record against the New Zealander of Nigerian descent, Pereira is the only fighter to have ever knocked out “The Last Stylebender.” Given this, it is not surprising that Silva enlisted Pereira’s assistance for his own bout with Adesanya.
The pair will meet again for a rematch at UFC 287 at the Miami Dade Arena next weekend.
Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya will rematch in the main event of UFC 287 on April 8, with Pereira vowing to put a stop to this rivalry for good and Adesanya wanting to reclaim the middleweight championship and level the score.
Pereira and Adesanya were destined to meet in the main event of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in November 2018 after two previous clashes on the professional kickboxing scene. Pereira was undefeated in the Octagon, while Adesanya was one of the most dominant titleholders in the UFC at the time.
At 2:01 of the fifth round, Pereira secured the middleweight championship with a stoppage victory. The four prior rounds were a dramatic battle of nerves that enthralled the sold-out crowd. At UFC 287, a rematch between them is set.
Previewing the upcoming clash in a recent fight camp video he uploaded on his YouTube channel, Adesanya stated:
“Yeah I do. This is kind of poetic, in a way. This is my last shot, and I’m gonna give it all I got.”
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