Two former opponents have become valuable friends after they met in the UFCachthoek.
At UFC 312 this weekend Sean Strickland is cornered by the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
This is not the first time that 'Patan' has made the walk next to the former middleweight title holder and it apparently will not be the last.
The two men have concluded a great friendship and training dynamics, despite the lack of English from Pereira, and the 205-pound champion even made the trip to Sydney to hang his friend during his own preparations for his return to UFC 313 next month.
Although Sean Strickland and Pereira may now be in the same team, it was not so long ago that in 2022 they went into a huge battle for the middleweight division.
Much has changed since their first meeting with both men who hold the 185-pound gold.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Alex Pereira shot the middleweight ladder by stopping Sean Strickland in style
On UFC 276 in Las Vegas, Strickland placed his #4 ranking on the line against the non -screamed Pereira.
'Patan' had earned back-to-back victories in the Octagon since the debut of the previous November, but if he could beat Strickland in an impressive way, given his history in the past with the champion Israel Adesanya, he would be in position for A title shot on 185 pounds.
Strickland rode a five-fighting racing racing in the middleweight since she returned to the division.
During the press conference before the fight, he made it clear that he did not think he should be a wrestler to defeat the kickboxing specialist, along with throwing some photos of Adesanya who copied the card in a title of defense against Jared Cannonier.
“I mean, Alex is a big scary f— Brazilian, I think we all admit that,” said Strickland. 'You are at an ATM and this M ——— – – you walk behind you in the middle of the night, you tell me what, you are going to walk away.
“He is a cool guy, you know, I trained with many good kickboxers, I think I can handle it.
“After me and him have a war and I defeat Alex, you are going to say that I am a completely different man. I'm going to start painting my nails, worn like a woman, I wear sunglasses inside. You know what I say, things will be different, bro. '
While Strickland is now known for its effective defensive style, as much expected, his striking skills were not a party for Pereira.
The American continued to push the first round ahead, but after having landed a few shots on the body, the Brazilian was able to drop the right hand of his opponent to land a devastating left corner, so that the show just passed by The half point of the openingstanza was closed.
Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira have since become friends
For an MMA hunter, learning a former opponent that you have already studied and in the case of Sean Strickland, your defeats, offers valuable insight.
Training with Alex Pereira has clearly made him a better defensive hunter, while for the current light heavyweight champion, a partner who likes to constantly move forward and pushes the pace on him, is a great look to get to the gym.
'Patan', apparently motivated by his own personal aversion of 185-pound champion Dric Du Plessis, will now try to help Strickland to recapture the middleweight title he had earlier after the deduction of Israel Adesanya outside his great victory at UFC 276 .
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