Henry Cejudo thinks Alex Pereira will become the new UFC middleweight champion.
Israel Adesanya losing to Alex Pereira twice in kickboxing is enough to convince Henry Cejudo that the latter will get his hands raised against ‘The Last Stylebender’ at UFC 281.
Pereira is a former two-division GLORY kickboxing champion and considered one of the best strikers in MMA, having recently KO’d Sean Strickland with the same left hook he used to floor Adesanya in their kickboxing match at Glory Heroes of 7.
Cejudo expects a similar result at UFC 281 where both fighters will meet again but this time in MMA, with ‘Triple C’ picking ‘Poatan’ to become the first fighter to KO Adesanya in mixed martial arts and kickboxing.
“I think Alex is gonna get it,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel (h/t Drake Riggs of MMA Fighting). “This is why it’s so important that as a mixed martial artist that you become well-rounded. That you’re not just a striker with good defense. Because what happens when you get that other good striker that has better striking than you then you can’t take him down? Cause that’s kinda where we’re at now with Pereira and Adesanya.
“As good as Israel is, Alexander just still has better striking. He knocked him out the last time they fought, he beat him the first time. If this fight goes on its feet, I just gotta go with Pereira.”
“Jose Aldo was the same thing,” he added. “Really good on his feet and great defense. But what happens when you get a better striker like Max Holloway? He put him out. He literally put Jose Aldo out. He put him out because there was nothing else that Jose Aldo had that was a trick in the bag for Max Holloway.
“That’s kind of how I see it in this position with Israel Adesanya and Pereira. I got Pereira by knockout. I think he’s got more diversity and things of that nature. Stop me when I lie.”
UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira takes place on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.