Manager Believes Alex Pereira-Israel Adesanaya Fight Could Happen Sooner Than Expected

The MW division just got put on NOTICE

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The training relationship between reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira and former Glory Kickboxing title holder Alex Pereira has been beneficial to both parties.

Jorge “Joinha” Guimaraes, who manages Teixeira and Pereira, discussed how the two fighters have been helping each other ahead of their upcoming bouts.

"Glover will face Jiri Prochazka, one of the most dangerous strikers of the division, in his first title defense at UFC 274 on May 7, and of course the daily support of a top striker like ‘Poatan’ is great for him,” Guimaraes told Sherdog.com.

According to Guimaraes, Teixeira’s help with Pereira’s camp is even more evident. The 34-year-old Brazilian will make his second Octagon appearance against Bruno Silva at UFC Fight Night 203 on March 12.

“‘Poatan' is improving so fast. But there are a lot of people underestimating his MMA improvement,” said Guimaraes. “Besides having dangerous submissions, the guy never gets tired. And of course, training every day with one of the most dangerous grapplers one division above is improving his poise.”

The current state of the UFC’s middleweight division makes Guimaraes believe that a highly-anticipated third meeting between current champ Israel Adesanya and Pereira could happen sooner than anyone initially expected. Pereira defeated Adesanya twice under kickboxing rules from 2016 to 2017— including one knockout victory.

“[Marvin] Vettori lost twice to Adesanya, [Paulo Costa] lost to Adesanya and Vettori, [Jared] Cannonier was losing the fight against [Derek] Brunson,” Guimaraes pointed out. “When I look at the Top 10 rankings, I sincerely see ‘Poatan’ as the only man capable of defeating Adesanya in the current landscape.”

That said, Guimaraes recognizes that Silva will be a legitimate test for Pereira to prove that he is ready to ascend to contender status at middleweight.

"Definitely ‘Blindado is one of the biggest threats in the division, Guimaraes said. “I was really impressed by the way this guy defeated [Alexander] Shemlenko in his hometown [at M-1 Challenge 93]. This guy fears nothing and deserves all the respect. It will be a big dog’s fight. But if he really wants to test his kickboxing skills, as he said, he will not have an happy ending.”