Israel Adesanya, having previously fought Alex Pereira, praised Pereira’s resilience and strategic improvements after Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight UFC title against Khalil Rountree Jr. with a fourth-round finish at UFC 307.
Israel Adesanya knows when Alex Pereira is ready to rock. These combat sports rivals have faced off twice in kickboxing and twice in MMA. Pereira’s won two by knockout, but Adesanya recently flattened him at UFC 287. Quite the saga, right?
Pereira moved up to light heavyweight, snagging a second UFC title. He’s defended it three times straight. At UFC 307, he was pushed to the limit by Khalil Rountree Jr., but emerged victorious with a fourth-round finish. What a fight!
As usual, Adesanya shared his reaction to the main event and the rest of the card. You can catch his video below. It’s always entertaining to see his insights.
“If Khalil knocks him out, it would be amazing,” Adesanya predicted before the bout. “But I think Alex is going to knock him out.” Bold words!
During the match, Adesanya analyzed Pereira’s strategy. He noted Pereira’s higher guard and how Rountree needed a knockout after enduring those brutal leg kicks. Strategy game on point!
Adesanya marveled at Pereira’s stamina in the championship rounds. “Pereira doesn’t look gassed,” he said. “He recovers well. I’m telling you, he’s a f*cking demon.” High praise from Izzy!
Rountree was actually leading on all three judges’ scorecards heading into Round 4. Yet, Pereira seemed to gain momentum at the end of the third round. Adesanya sensed Rountree’s time was running out.
“I can feel it,” Adesanya said. “Now, it’s going to be ‘Chama’ time.” And sure enough…
Pereira unleashed a brutal flurry of offense, hammering Rountree until he crumbled. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in just in time.
Another crowd-pleaser from “Poatan.” Adesanya paid his respects: “He’s got some hard fights in front of him, but he is that guy right now.” Indeed, Pereira’s on fire!