Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his title against challenger Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. The highly anticipated bout will be a rematch between the two who faced each other at UFC 295, where Pereira defeated Prochazka with a TKO. The fight came in as a short-notice battle following McGregor’s withdrawal, but it is still a bout that seems to be garnering popularity.
Isreal Adesanya is set to return to the UFC to face Dricus Du Plessis in August and he has some bold predictions on this upcoming fight. He laid out strategies each fighter could use to defeat the other in the cage.
“The approach from both fighters will be different because they both know what could happen–Alex knows he can get taken down and controlled, and Jiri knows he can get knocked out. But also Alex knows he can get touched and hurt by Jiri,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “ [It will be a] more calculated [fight], slower because also they are taking this on short notice. They’re both relatively fit, but again, five-round fit, that’s the one. I know it’s short notice, but a five-round fit that’s crazy.
“Jiri will be mindful[of his injuries], especially when you hurt him, or if you think you have a moment, don’t rush. Just take your time. It’ll come
“Alex can surprise him as well. If Jiri takes him down, Alex can surprise him with some new s**t on the ground he’s been working on.”
Despite squaring up against Pereira four times, The ‘Last Stylebender’ believes Prochazka will emerge victorious.
“I’m going to go Jiri, because we’re the chosen few. But also, I think he might have learned from his mistake, because people don’t understand, and it also makes things interesting if [Jiri beats Alex]. Then it’s a trifecta, a trilogy, yeah.
“Someone’s going to die–that’s going to be the mindset, either he finishes me, or I finish him. That’s the mindset you have to have if you’re taking a short notice fight, five rounds. Because holding on for five rounds, if you’re not fit, it’s a bad time. Bad as hell. So you have to go in there and just be like, either he dies, or I die.”
Adesanya faced Alex Pereira on four occasions at MMA and multiple times during their kickboxing run. Their first encounter was in 2016 when Pereira defeated him with a unanimous decision win and beat him again in their kickboxing rematch. Adesanya soon transitioned to MMA and became the UFC middleweight champion in 2019 till Pereira defeated him. The ‘Last Stylebender’ soon got his revenge as he dominated Pereira to regain his title ship while ‘Poatan’ moved to another division. Adesanya remains the one opponent to ever dominate the light heavyweight champion.
