Tristar MMA head coach and mastermind, Firas Zahabi has warned that former middleweight champion, Alex Pereira may never be the same again, after the Brazilian suffered a potentially “career-ending” knockout loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 this month.
Pereira, who headlined UFC 287 last weekend in a middleweight championship rematch against the above-mentioned, Adesanya, dropped a stunning second round KO loss to the Nigerian-Kiwi at the Octagon fence.
Backing Adesanya back to the fence with a combination of his own, Sao Paulo native, Alex Pereira was countered with a couple of right hook strikes from Adesanya, before he was sent cannoning to the Octagon canvas, finding himself on the receiving end of more ground strikes.
Firas Zahabi expresses concern for Alex Pereira following UFC 287
Despite leaving the Octagon under his own motion and momentum following UFC 287, Pereira has been warned he may have suffered irreversible damage against Adesanya – potentially “career-ending”, in fact.
“I think that that knockout, the way he fell, the way he was out, the way he got hit three times,” AFiras Zahabi said of Alex Pereira on his YouTube channel. “That could be one of those fight-ending, career-ending fights. Like, he might win a few fights, lose a fight. He might never be the same, once you get knocked out really badly like that. For instance, I’ll tell you, like, when (Jose) Aldo got knocked out by (Conor) McGregor, he was never the same again. When Georges (St-Pierre) TKO’d B.J. Penn, when he gave him that beating – that really bad beating, he was really the same again.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)
Announcing plans to make a move to the light heavyweight limit following his knockout loss to Adesanya last weekend, Pereira has been linked with an immediate title outing at the division against current champion, Jamahal Hill – while compatriot, Johnny Walker has offered to welcome the Sao Paulo striker to the 205lbs ranks to boot.