During an interview on The Schmo YouTube channel, middleweight contender Sean Strickland stated that Alex Pereira is “hittable,” but has strong punching power and expects him to move up to the light heavyweight division.
Middleweight contender Sean Strickland has shared his thoughts about his fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 276 in July 2021. Although Strickland lost the fight, he revealed that he was able to hit Pereira during the match, and blood was visible on the Brazilian fighter’s face. He also stated that Pereira is a hittable opponent, but the problem arises when he connects his punches, which usually ends up with the opponent being unable to recall what happened.
Strickland was impressed with Israel Adesanya‘s win against Pereira at UFC 287. However, he wasn’t surprised by the outcome, and he did not hesitate to express how he felt about ‘The Last Stylebeander.’ He watched Adesanya finish Pereira and saw the Brazilian’s chances of winning fade away progressively.
Strickland wants to see a third fight between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya in the UFC. But, he believes Pereira will move to the light heavyweight division since he is a big fighter, and it will make life less miserable for him.
In conclusion, Strickland is very familiar with Pereira’s fighting style and has firsthand experience of what it’s like fighting him inside the octagon. He believes Pereira is beatable but warns that his opponents need to watch out for his power punches. He also wants to see a third fight between Pereira and Adesanya, but he thinks that the Brazilian fighter would benefit from moving to the light heavyweight division.