Alex Pereira was very pleased following Sean Strickland’s win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Having fought and trained alongside Strickland, it was naturally a good feeling for Pereira. However, there was a time when Pereira himself feared the newly crowned middleweight champ.
Previously, ‘Poatan‘ took on Strickland at UFC 276. In what was his third UFC fight, Alex felt uneasy taking on someone with so many fights under his belt. Despite Strickland being the #4 ranked fighter at the time, the Brazilian was genuinely nervous going into the matchup.
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Speaking about the fight, Alex said, “I was the most scared from the time the fight was booked, right up to the weigh-in. I was scared but I was handling it pretty easily.” Further, Alex added, “When he entered the Octagon, he was already giving me the mean look he had never stared me down like that at any time. Right then, I was like, ‘This guy wants to kill me here'”.
According to Alex Pereira, Strickland turned into a different person inside the Octagon and really threatened Pereira with his looks. As such, Pereira felt himself suddenly wake up and be on high alert before the start of the fight. Fortunately, the 36-year-old was able to crack Strickland’s defenses pretty early and managed to secure the win in the very first round.
Alex Pereira does not want credit for Sean Strickland’s title win
Despite brutally knocking out Strickland in the first round, the two went on to develop a rather surprising bond and even began training together. Less than a year after their encounter at UFC 276, the pair were training together at Alex’s gym. For the most part, it seemed as though the link-up bore fruit, as both went on to win their next fights.
Whilst Alex beat Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut at UFC 291, Strickland beat Abus Magomedov. Most recently, ‘Tarzan‘ defied all odds when he put in a masterclass and beat Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Having a long-standing rivalry with Adesanya himself, Alex shocked many when he chose Strickland to beat Adesanya.
Initially, many assumed that this was because Sean and Alex were training together now. However, as Alex clarifies, his training with Sean did not have anything to do with his victory. Following Sean’s victory, Alex Pereira said, “Let me clarify, I had nothing to do with it okay? He won on his own. It’s totally his success because he is such a dedicated guy with a unique style”. Further, Alex also took to social media to give Sean his congratulations.
Notably, with Strickland now the new middleweight champion, Pereira will not be making a return to the division. Currently, it is expected that Alex will be booked to take on Jiri Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight title, sometime early next year. Did training with Pereira truly help Strickland win the title? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.