Pereira tipped to beat Adesanya in rematch

UFC heavyweight fighter Jon Jones believes Alex Pereira will be victorious once again when he faces Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya in their title rematch on April 9.

Pereira stunned the world at UFC 281 last year when he gained a technical knockout win over long-time rival Adesanya for the middleweight title. The bout was a highly entertaining clash that pitted two of the best kickboxers in combat sports against one another.

Down on the scorecards in the fifth round, the Brazilian’s persistence and heavy hands eventually paid off as he snatched the victory from ‘The Last Stylebender’.

Pereira’s win over Israel Adesanya now means he leads their unofficial head-to-head 3-0, having previously defeated the Nigerian-New Zealander twice in kickboxing.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Jones said that he doesn’t expect a different result the second time around as he believes the Brazilian has Adesanya’s “number”.

“I believe Pereira’s going to win again. There’s some athletes that just have other athlete’s number. He works hard and I’m rooting for him. I believe he’s going to do it again,” Jones said.

Pereira and Israel Adesanya’s rematch will take place at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida at UFC 287. The stacked card also features an equally exciting co-main event as welterweight Jorge Masvidal returns to the octagon to face Gilbert Burns.