Much credit to Sean Strickland, who takes on Alex Pereira on the main card of UFC 276 set to go down this weekend inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Needless to say, there’s a lot at stake for both Strickland and Pereira, both of whom have a lot to prove going into this fight at UFC 276.
Ahead of this exciting match-up between two of the finest strikers in the UFC’s middleweight division, let’s try to predict the result of Strickland vs Pereira.
Sean Strickland doesn’t really like to trade inside the Octagon
He is incredible on the microphone, and the sparring videos are definitely entertaining. Be that as it may, he’s just not quite the striker you would expect him to be after listening to him trash-talk. While the back and forth inside the cage definitely grab eyeballs, Strickland is not a pressure fighter.
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While there’s no denying Strickland’s skillset, every time he has squared off against a top-ranked opponent, he has lacked the tenacity to get the job done. This was the case against Uriah Hall, where Strickland looked hesitant to engage against someone as powerful as Hall, while a split decision victory against Jack Hermansson also raised a lot of eyebrows regarding Strickland’s position at the top of the division.
Alex Pereira is likely to knock out Sean Strickland at UFC 276
Moreover, we haven’t really seen Strickland land those big punches. It won’t be wrong to predict Strickland will likely go to the ground to engage with Pereira, but the Brazilian kickboxer turned mixed martial artist has improved tremendously under the tutelage of former light-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira.
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While we haven’t seen much of Alex Pereira inside the Octagon, from what we know about him from his kickboxing career, he sure as hell knows how to put on a show. Moreover, with the kind of power he carries in his hands, it’s hard not to expect a knockout win every time he steps inside the UFC Octagon.
Additionally, we have seen Strickland succumb to pressure in the past. With no legitimate power in his hands, and up against one of the fiercest strikers in the history of kickboxing, it’s safe to say Alex Pereira gets his hand raised this weekend at UFC 276.
UFC 276 Prediction: Sean Strickland vs Alex Pereira prediction: Alex Pereira via T/KO