If Adesanya is able to defend his 185-pound belt against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, there won’t be many fighters left for the champion. The “Last Stylebender” has already defeated Robert Whittaker (twice), Derek Brunson, Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa. He has basically cleaned up the division and is starting to circle the competition.
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BLOCKBUSTER CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEAD! The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) International Fight Week returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 2, 2022, headlined by a stacked card headlined by a blockbuster championship doubleheader. In the UFC 276 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight reigning champion Israel Adesanya defends his crown against No. 2 contender Jared Cannonier. In the co-main event, Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has his sights set on successfully defending his title once again against No. 1 contender Max Holloway for the third (and likely final) time. Don’t miss a second of the EPIC-face-punching action! In steps Pereira, who will make his third trip to the Octagon this evening when he takes on Sean Strickland. The former GLORY middleweight and lightweight champion has a famous knockout win over Adesanya when the two met in a kickboxing match in 2017: That win has been associated with both fighters ever since and is ammunition for a potential title fight should the two fighters emerge victorious from UFC 276. According to Adesanya, Pereira hasn’t won a fight in the UFC middleweight division, but is willing to entertain the idea given his history with the Brazilian fighter. “Beat? I don’t think he’s earned it, to be honest,” Adesanya said earlier this week (h/t MMA Fighting). “I like it, though. I like custom matchups, though, because they make a bigger story, and guess what? A bigger, bigger paycheck for myself when we fight. So, is it worth it? I don’t know. Earned? Definitely not. But, it’s here and I like it and I want it.” Pereira, 34, hasn’t done much so far in his MMA career. The GLORY legend is 2-0 inside the Octagon, but those wins came against Bruno Silva and Andreas Michaelidis. If Pereira can knock off Strickland and end his five-fight winning streak at middleweight, he should have done enough to earn his shot at the belt. Until that happens, Adesanya believes “Poatan” is just riding his coattails. “Coattail, because the guy is supposed to beat me in kickboxing and he’s still trying to chase me because I’m the one who wins in life,” Adesanya said. “And I love that story. It’s the story we tell ourselves. The story arc will be beautiful if he gets past Sean Strickland. “I said Jiri [Prochazka] lightweight champion, three fights in the UFC but an extensive record in MMA. This guy only had four or five fights, which is crazy. But you know what they do, but I like this because I’m going to get him out early, before — he’s going to be fine. But not right now.” If both middleweights win this weekend, it’s a fight the UFC clearly wants to make. Pereira has already stated that he believes he would finish Adesanya even faster with smaller gloves, but the “Last Stylebender” is confident he can do the same. It’s a rematch that would generate plenty of buzz if the two world-class fighters can get their business done inside the Octagon at UFC 276. “Imagine what I can do with four-ounce gloves,” Adesanya said. “I did the same thing to him in the second fight… I f***** that guy in the first fight. Not crazy, but the judges gave it to him. In the second race, I had him on skates and I made a decision, a mistake on my part, and it was a beautiful story for him, because in his backyard, two laps down, in the third lap he comes and knocks me out. It’s a beautiful story for him. “Rewind to UFC 92. Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson. This is a clear example of how I see this happening the third time around. He who laughs last, laughs best and I will laugh last.” MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 276 fight card here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the rest of the undercard on ABC/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, prior to the start time of the PPV main card at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV. For the latest and greatest UFC 276 “Adesanya vs. Cannonier” news and notes, be sure to check out our complete event archive here.
