UFC 281: Main Event
ISRAEL ADESANYA(23-1) VS ALEX PEREIRA(6-1) ~ UFC Middleweight Championship (185)
- Adesanya Decision ...Adesanya finally faces his boogeyman. Alex Pereira holds two victories over Adesanya, including a KO that has plagued Izzy on social media over his entire career. For a champion so defensive of his belt and such a consummate game planner, don’t be surprised if Adesanya swallows the boos to grind Pereira against the cage. Andreas Michailidis dominated Poatan for an entire round in the clinch, after all. Not saying Adesanya can't control a striking affair, either. Pereira owns a monster left and a freakishly long frame, but he does leave his mid-rift open. Considering Adesanya’s arsenal of range weapons, the Kiwi has a shot at nullifying Alex throughout 25-minutes. It does seem a little foolish, however, to roll those dice against an opponent who has proven to own one-shot KO power over you. Definitely not a shut-and-closed case. Izzy will have to dig very deep to work around Pereira’s nuclear power. I just feel like the variety that Adesanya offers will ask questions about Pereira’s gas tank that is yet to be proven in the sphere of MMA.
Even though I capped it for Izzy, I may just take a flier on Alex. Weile was my to pick of the night, but I backed off a bit because odd grew so much, At least the last 2 fights go me within striking distance of plus money on the night. The fights have been awesome!