“Best Striker in All Weight Classes”: Beneil Dariush Compliments Alex Pereira, Rubbing Salt on Israel Adesanya’s Wounds

Beneil Dariush recently sat down with ‘Submission Radio’ and gave some bold opinions about UFC 300. He was all praise for some of the winners and commented on the results of the fights. Among this, the lightweight stalwart gave specific mention to the main event winner Alex Pereira. While doing so, he also, subjectively, took away a title that Israel Adesanya had been holding, again, subjectively, according to many.

‘Poatan’ and ‘The Last Stylebender’ have one of the most longstanding rivalries in all of combat sports. Ahead of UFC 300 Jamahal ‘Sweet Dreams’ Hill had sought the wisdom of the only man who had defeated Pereira inside the Octagon ahead of his fight with Pereira. Not only did this not help the American, but now Dariush has given his verdict on why ‘Poatan’ is simply better than Adesanya.

Beneil Dariush is team Alex Pereira!

While talking about the UFC 300 in the podcast, Beneil Dariush started talking about why he would select Alex Pereira over Israel Adesanya. He mentioned ‘Poatan’s’ striking method and said, “… Man, ‘Poatan’ is so special when it comes to striking because of the way he can read things, the way he can set things up uh, you know? I know Israel knocked him out in the last fight, so you have to say Israel is the better striker. But in my opinion, he is without a doubt the best striker in all the weight classes and that is not something you can see typically at 205 fighters, you know? So I think he sees things from way further out than everybody.”

Dariush’s statements make perfect sense if you look at the Adesanya-Pereia rivalry. The Brazilian is 3-1 up and with 2 finishes! While Adesanya’s last win was definitive, there are still many that would pick Pereira over the Kiwi as a better striker/fighter.

Dariush also said that ‘Poatan’ landed 4 to 5 jabs at Jamahal Hill and Hill knew what was happening and defended himself with his hands up to his face until one second of delay and Pereira threw that left hook. The former GLORY kickboxing two-weight champion stepped on Hill’s lead foot, locked him down, and then launched his patented left hook – a brilliant striking display from a truly elite kickboxer.

He did all this even after Adesanya had advised Hill before the fight with his long-time rival. After Pereira’s relatively easy first-round KO win, Adesanya’s prediction has aged very poorly. Let us take a look at what the former champion was expecting to see at UFC 300.

Israel Adesanya gave warnings to Alex Pereira on social media before UFC 300

In one of his recent videos on YouTube Israel Adesanya had given his opinion on UFC 300 main event. He acknowledged both the fighters and highlighted their knockout power. ‘Stylebender’ had said, “I’m gonna go Jamahal by knockout, first two and a half [rounds].”

He also explained that Jamahal Hill was not scared to go into this fight and advised him by saying that he needed to be careful of the dangerous leg kicks that are the specialty of ‘Poatan’. He also proclaimed, “Jamahal’s going to try to get his fist to Alex’s head, just like he did with Johnny Walker.” However, he didn’t stop there.

In a post on X, and he shared, “A year ago I conquered a titan. This saga has strengthened my spirit and I am forever grateful. All you need is one shot in life, don’t throw and hope…you aim and FIRE!!!”

Adesanya had defeated Pereira in UFC 287 and that is why he was ready to give ‘Sweet Dreams’ all the advice that he needed. This was especially because he also had a hiatus due to an Achilles tendon rupture. Many suspect that Hill may not have recovered fully before this fight, and that might have played a factor. But as things stand, Pereira is the 205 lbs champion and wants a heavyweight fight next month at UFC 301 in Brazil. Will the UFC entertain his wish?