Before entering MMA and becoming the UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya competed in kickboxing, racking up an impressive 75-5 professional record across several promotions and multiple weight classes. The Stylebender was one of the world’s best-known kickboxers thanks to his stint in Glory, where he competed in the 2016 Glory middleweight championship, losing out in the final in a controversial decision.
However, Adesanya’s biggest loss in kickboxing came at the hands of the eventual Glory kickboxing champion Alex Pereira. The two had met previously in a fight that was ruled in Pereira’s favour by the judges, but a rematch was soon scheduled.
Adesanya and Pereira met for the second time in 2017, and this time Israel was knocked out cold in the third round. This was to be Israel’s last fight in kickboxing before he started MMA and joined the UFC. Now Pereira has followed him to the UFC and looks to be the next to challenge him for the championship.
While the rematch hasn’t been announced yet, sportsbooks have already listed Israel Adesanya as the slight favourite against his rival. You can find the latest MMA odds at Betway though they’re likely to change between now and the fight.
What Advantages Does Pereira Have?
Alex “Poatan” Pereira is an incredibly intimidating fighter with a very powerful left hook. During his kickboxing career, the Brazilian was famous for having heavy hands and knocking down his opponents. He has recorded multiple finishes over his career, mostly by way of punches but also with flying knees.
His main advantage over Adesanya is the mental aspect due to having already beaten him twice. He’ll have a lot more confidence coming into this fight than his opponent, and it also helps that their last fight ended in a knockout. He knows that Adesanya is likely to be cautious of his power as a result, and he can afford to take more risks to land that left hand.
Pereira is also undefeated in the UFC right now, although he did lose an MMA bout seven years ago. Some fans would argue that he hasn’t really been tested since he came to the UFC, managing to avoid any serious grapples so far. However, Pereira does have another big advantage in that he trains with former light heavyweight champions and Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt Glover Teixeira.
What Advantages Does Israel Adesanya Have?
Adesanya’s main advantage over his former kickboxing rival is that he has significantly more experience in MMA. The New Zealand-based fighter made his professional MMA debut back in 2012 and has already been in the UFC for five years. He’s now been the middleweight champion since 2019 and has only one loss in that time when he moved up in weight to fight Jan Blachowicz, his only loss in professional MMA.
When it comes to kickboxing, Pereira may have the upper hand, but Adesanya’s significant experience in MMA will work in his favour. It will be interesting to see if he tries to take Pereira down, as this could definitely be a weakness he could look to exploit.
Aside from this, Adesanya would also argue that he’s still the better kickboxer compared to Pereira. When speaking about the fights, he’s always keen to point out that the first fight was a close decision. For the second fight, Adesanya was up two rounds before he wobbled Pereira and overextended while looking for the finish, causing him to get knocked out. You can watch the fights and decide for yourself, but it’s clear that Adesanya would never admit to his rival getting the better of him.
