Henry Cejudo respects Israel Adesanya for proving him wrong, but thinks Alex Pereira was having his way before he got finished.
Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was knocked out by Adesanya in Round 2 of this past Saturday’s UFC 287 headliner in Miami. “Poatan” had Adesanya backed up against the fence, but Adesanya blasted him with a big counter right that led to the fight-ending sequence.
Although all three judges awarded Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) Round 1, Cejudo thinks Pereira’s leg kicks were starting to take a toll on Adesanya.
“Alex Pereira did have him hurt,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “If there’s one thing you guys can take from that is Israel, his defense to leg kicks is not all there. He’s too out, he’s too straightforward.”
Cejudo then implied Adesanya was in desperation mode when his back was against the fence and Pereira made the mistake of not respecting his power.
“Pereira had him hurt to the leg. … Israel just curled up and threw that right hand, went for broke,” Cejudo said. “(He) threw the Hail Mary and caught him and took him out. Those are the chances you take, and I think the biggest lesson that Pereira could learn is you’ve got to be careful, man.
“This isn’t Glory. You don’t have an eight–ounce glove, a 10-ounce glove. When you’re fighting somebody (in MMA), it’s a four-ounce glove. He’s got in trouble in those positions before.”
Cejudo picked Pereira to beat Adesanya in their rematch, but now that Adesanya has regained the title, “Triple C” wonders who else in the division can challenge him.
“He’s going to be super, super hard to beat at 185 pounds because at 185 pounds, he’s gone through everybody and nobody there has any trust in their wrestling,” Cejudo said.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.