UFC 303 showed a power-packed performance from Alex Pereira who gave a dangerous KO to Jiri Prochazka. This fight glued the fans to their seats and created a surprising ruckus that the fight had some ‘magical’ elements. ‘The Czech Samurai’ was defeated in the second round and surprisingly, people started accusing ’Poatan’ of performing shamanic rituals to win the fight. However, Kamaru Usman cleared these doubts and stated that while Pereira was not unstoppable, he was given the best possible chance to win the fight.
Kamaru Usman gives reality check
Alex Pereira has proved time and again that he is one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the UFC. No matter how many short-notice fights he has taken, he has always won, except for the one fight against Israel Adesanya. The two-division champion has the best 12-fight run in history, however, some people think he is not unstoppable and his winning streak has something to do with the rituals he does before the fight.
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Kamaru Usman gave the doubters a reality check in a new Pound 4 Pound YouTube video and said that Pereira was indeed not unstoppable, but was given an easy way to win.
“That is the least path of resistance for Alex Pereira. It is just stand and strike with this guy. And most everyone seems to be doing that. I’m not gonna say he is unstoppable in striking because Israel Adesanya has shown that yup he can be hurt, yup he can be stopped. He has shown that so I wouldn’t say he’s unstoppable there. I would just say that with the approach some of these guys have taken with him. They’re giving him the best possible chance to go out there and be victorious the way that he’s doing,” Usman explained.
According to the former welterweight champion, other fighters are not strategizing properly against the Brazilian. He has been presented with opportunities which he has grabbed. Except for Adesanya who showed the right approach and defeated ‘Poatan’ in UFC 287, the other fighters haven’t been able to do it.
Apart from Kamaru Usman, Adesanya himself also spoke about the UFC 303 and poked fun at the accusations that Pereira was receiving.
Israel Adesanya talks about the ‘shamanic ritual’ possibly done by Pereira
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UFC 303 left the MMA fandom completely dumbfounded as Pereira showcased his skills and kept maximum pressure against his opponent. His performance was one of the best in the event and the fans were on the edge of their seats. However, there were still some murmurs about the dark rituals he was executing. Even his former rival Adesanya spoke about it as he watched the fight with his friends.
Pereira sent a strong fist towards the ‘Czech Samurai’ at the end of the first round, however, his opponent was not going down so easily. During the second round, Pereira gave a high kick to Prochazka. After a lulling pause, the 31-year-old Czech fell to the ground and had to face the Brazilian with hammer fists. This got a reaction out of Adesanya who said, “Damn! That’s bad. This card was cursed.”
This was not the end of Adesanya’s verdict as he decided to add more spice to it. Pointing at David, Adesanya claimed, “Your juju didn’t work.” David, then, decided to enact a shamanic ritual chanting ‘Chama’ and imitating Pereira’s bow and arrow pose.
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However, when ‘Poatan’ defeated Prochazka, David took the blame and said he chanted the wrong spirit. The group started laughing at this.
Nonetheless, it’s the Brazilian who won the fight and even got the support of Dana White after his win because according to the boss, he always showed up and saved UFC.