UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira was advised by his teammate and friend Glover Teixeira to not return next month.
Pereira was last seen in action against former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the headlining bout of UFC 281 last month. It marked the third time the two rivals faced off in a fight, with Pereira holding two prior wins over Adesanya in kickboxing. Adesanya looked set to get the nod on the judges’ scorecards until Pereira unleashed a barrage of punches in the fifth round to score a standing TKO finish of ‘Stylebender.’
Following the result, company president Dana White indicated that an immediate title rematch between Adesanya and Pereira would not be out of the question. However, there were other surging prospects, such as top-ranked welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev, who called out the striking maestro.
Teixeira Advised Pereira Against a Fight With Chimaev
In an appearance on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, former UFC light heavyweight champion Teixeira shared his thoughts on the potential clash between Pereira and Chimaev.
He revealed that ‘Poatan’ was willing to take ‘Borz’ on for the upcoming Brazil card of UFC 283 in January and was recommended against it.
“This fight is all talk,” Teixeira said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “I usually don’t get into talk that doesn’t make any sense, but to light heavyweight, this guy says he accepted it. I remember Alex calling Jorge and saying, ‘Hey Jorge, let’s fight in Brazil.’
“I said, ‘What are you doing? You fight in Brazil? Your legs are hurt. You kicked so much, your shins are hurt. You haven’t recovered. Just chill for a while.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, but this guy’s talking, I’ll fight him at 205. I don’t want to cut the weight.’ I said, ‘Yeah, you can’t cut the weight.’ … Alex is a very strong mind.”
Teixeira Wants Pereira to Rematch Adesanya Next
According to Teixeira, Pereira did not show his best form in the first outing with Adesanya inside the octagon. He called for an immediate rematch between the two since he believes ‘Poatan’ can dominate his longtime foe.
“I’d like to see that fight again just to make some adjustments,” Teixeira said. “Alex, he’s crazy, man. He watches the fight every time he comes to my house. We hang out all the time. We don’t do too much stuff, but we hang out – I call him and go, ‘Hey Alex, what are you doing, man? Bring the kids, I’ll make some hamburgers, we’ll hang out.’ I like to hang out and talk s***. But he sits down in front of the TV and says, ‘Hey, can you put my fight on?’ I’m like, ‘Bro, we’ve already watched that fight like 500 times.’ And he keeps watching it. [He says], ‘Right there, you see that Glover?’
“I think that fight happens right away right now, I think Alex would beat him all the rounds. That’s why I want to see it again. If the UFC asked me, Glover, you decide it, I say let’s do it with Adesanya again, because I want to see Alex beating this guy. Nothing against Adesanya. The guy does an incredible job. Just as a fighter, as a coach, as a friend, I just know he can beat him, and probably not lose a round.”
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UFC Champ Alex Pereira Told Not To Return Next Month