Despite the loss, Adesanya showed what a great fighter he is. Will he challenge the bigger Pereira Walk? What’s in store for who?

UFC 281 is over and we can look back at the main event and speculate a bit about the future. Israel Adesanya has lost his belt, Alex Pereira is the new middleweight champion. What did the fight reveal and suggest?

Adesanya showed that he is a top fighter. Pereira proved his lethal power

Three fights, three losses. This is the current record that Israel Adesanya boasts in his fights with Alex Pereira. Two came years ago in kickboxing, the third was dealt by the Brazilian to the longtime UFC champion on Sunday morning, when he stripped him of his belt in the best MMA organization in the world.

For Adesanya, however, all the losses have been cruel. In fact, he was better than Pereira in the first fight, but controversially lost on points, and the win was apparently not expected by the Brazilian himself at the time. Adesanya was better in the second fight as well, with Pereira often struggling to finish the fight. But then came one left hook and the Nigeria native was in dreamland.

It was more or less a similar fight in the UFC. Adesanya showed that he is a top fighter. He was superior in every way. He scored great points, had good combinations, was able to keep his distance for most of the fight and proved he was better on the ground than Pereira.

But there was one element that made the difference. Power. Pereira was heavier and much bigger than Adesanya in the fight. That’s also why it was hard for the Israeli to get the Brazilian to the ground. And even though Pereira showed more or less nothing in the fight except a crushing finish in the fifth round, he won the belt.

Of course, this is MMA. However, Pereira didn’t really come across as a world-class fighter. He showed quality, but he looked like an almost a class below “Izzy”. But power proved to be the factor that erased the quality difference. Moreover, it was clear that Adesanya really respected Pereira’s hooks.

What’s next?

The current question is what’s next. Adesanya has virtually no one to fight at his weight. He’s beaten them all. He’s beaten most of the top guys twice. That’s why there’s a rematch. But the question is whether it will be another fight between the two fighters.

One thing is for sure. Pereira will definitely fight Adesanya next year. But the question is how long he will remain champion. The likes of Marvin Vettori could be a risk for him with his ground skills. However, the Italian has asked for another fight with the Nigerian.

But when the rematch between Pereira and Adesanya happens in the UFC, it will definitely be one of the most watched fights. It’s extra motivation for the now former champion. He’s unfairly faced a lot of criticism that he’s not as attractive anymore.

Yet for die-hard fans, it should be a joy to watch a display of his skills combined with a great fight IQ. But alas. Many people don’t appreciate it. Either way, he needs to change things up a bit for his next fight to avoid giving Pereira the opportunity to end it again.

Will Pereira last in the middleweight division? Fans want a fight with Walk

Pereira may have won the welterweight title, but given his size, he would be better suited to move up a weight class. After all, he didn’t make weight for the Adesanya fight until his second attempt. It may be that his body will betray him when he drops.

However, at welterweight, the Brazilian would lose his weight advantage, which he has at middleweight. In addition, there are many more top grounders who could “grease the bread” of the Brazilian if they watch Pereira in the stance.

After all, Adesanya isn’t much of a groundskeeper either, but he scored his first UFC takedown against Pereira. So the question is how long Pereira’s title will last. He’s still going to have to work noticeably on the ground. Not to mention conditioning. He’s going to be even more physical than “Izzy”.

Fans, however, have been offered an interesting idea. Pereira’s connection to Jiri Prochazka, the welterweight champion, has appeared countless times on social media. Given the stand-up skills of both fighters, it would be a great match-up.

If in a month’s time the Moravian fighter can defend his belt against Glover Teixeira, who trains with Pereira, it’s not out of the question that the fight could actually happen. And it would be something to look forward to. It would be an interesting test for Walk through the Brazilian’s power.

Source: UFC, Twitter