UFC middleweight contender Alex Pereira will go to war with reigning 185-pound titleholder Israel Adesanya in the UFC 281 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, a five-round showdown that marks the third meeting between “Poatan” and “The Last Stylebender.”
Pereira holds two wins (and one knockout) over Adesanya on the kickboxing circuit.
Prior to their “Big Apple” battle, Pereira has been uploading photos of his training and preparations for UFC 281, which illustrate the size of the massive Brazilian. Unlike Paddy Pimblett, who looks like Jonah Hill in War Dogs when he’s not in camp, Pereira walks around with less than 10-percent body fat.
Have a look:
Alex Pereira is currently 226 pounds with 9.8% body fat.
— MMA mania (@mmamania) August 31, 2022
74 days until #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/Nii5XEVTwE
Here’s Pereira standing next to former light heavyweight champions Glover Teixeira and Lyoto Machida:
Alex Pereira is massive pic.twitter.com/E0wYebnrDv
— MMA mania (@mmamania) August 30, 2022
Fans are not feeling optimistic about Adesanya’s chances (via Sportskeeda).
“RIP Izzy”
”Adesanya a dead man”
“Ngl Izzy is fooooked and I’m a Izzy fan saying this”
“Why is Pereira not fighting at 205!? Omg”
“I’m worried for Izzy”
The fact that Pereira can make the middleweight mark without issue is astonishing but “Poatan” will have to subtract an extra pound for UFC 281. Unlike non-title fights, there is no one-pound allowance when the belt is on the line so it’s 185 or bust when the Brazilian hits the scale later this year in “The Empire State.”
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 281 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPNEWS/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 281: “Adesanya vs. Pereira” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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