Brazilian kickboxing phenom Alex Pereira already holds two victories over reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and if you think he’ll score a third when they meet inside the Octagon later this year, you’ll probably want to jump on the ever-shrinking betting line that dropped last Sunday night.
Adesanya opened as the -180 favorite against +160 for the underdog Pereira, but before our friends at BetOnline.ag could even finish writing up their announcement Email with the opening odds, the early money came pouring in for the hard-hitting “Poatan,” changing the numbers to -160 for Adesanya and +140 for Pereira.
Both combatants were in action for the UFC 276 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Las Vegas. Adesanya defended his title by outworking ex-heavyweight Jared Cannonier, not long after Pereira destroyed No. 4-ranked middleweight Sean Strickland. “The Last Stylebender” later agreed to rematch his Brazilian rival but nothing is official at this time.
That said, it’s not unreasonable to think the promotion will cook something up for late fall or early winter, barring any injuries or unforeseen circumstances. As with any betting line, you can expect the latest “Adesanya vs. Pereira” odds to fluctuate — in both directions — as we inch closer to fight night.