UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, renowned for his devastating striking and friendly demeanor, has captured the admiration of MMA enthusiasts and even his former opponent, Sean Strickland. Last month, Strickland joined Pereira and his coach Plinio Cruz for a training session, where they engaged in a grueling six-minute sparring match that captivated fans. The burgeoning camaraderie between these two MMA icons has fans eagerly awaiting their future interactions.

Recently, Pereira’s coach, Cruz, released additional footage showcasing more of their amicable sparring sessions, including behind-the-scenes glimpses of Sean Strickland sharing his strategy for defeating Alex Pereira.

Has Sean Strickland decoded how to knock out Alex Pereira?

Following their intense training session, Strickland identified key takeaways from sparring with Pereira. With Pereira’s coach, Plinio Cruz, translating, Strickland asserted that he had discovered a potential weakness in the champion’s fighting style. Strickland explained via the coach’s YouTube channel, “For me to knock Alex out, he has to do something stupid, like what he did before, like what he did against Izzy,” while also adding, “If you gave me one free shot and let me do everything I can, I’m going to knock him out. But if you try that with Alex Pereira, everyone else is going o sleep.”

Since their UFC 276 bout, this marks the first time the two fighters have interacted informally outside the Octagon. In the meantime, both have made significant strides: Strickland rose to become a middleweight title champion but fell short against Dricus Du Plessis; despite this he remains the top-ranked middleweight.

Strickland is currently determined to avenge his defeat against Dricus Du Plessis, who recently defended his title in a victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. However, a new obstacle has emerged: immediately after Du Plessis’ triumph, Alex Pereira announced his plan to return to the 185-pound division and reclaim his championship. This development poses a challenge to Strickland’s ambition to regain the title and he recently shared his thoughts on the challenge.

Strickland dismisses Pereira’s return to middleweight

Alex Pereira, known for his rigorous weight cuts, initially left the middleweight division because of the challenges he faced during his last bout against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. He had lost 20 pounds to meet the weight limit, which negatively affected his health and ultimately led to his loss of the title. To avoid further complications, Pereira moved up to the 205-pound light heavyweight weight class. Given these factors, Sean Strickland recently expressed doubts about Pereira’s potential return to the middleweight division.

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Sean Strickland dismissed the possibility of Alex Pereira cutting down to middleweight. He stated that he had witnessed Pereira’s condition after a weight cut, “I remember seeing Alex [Pereira] for his last fight [at middleweight] in the back room, and he looked like fu*ing death. His last middleweight cut, I walked in to say hi to him and he just looked like fu*ing death, like, to the point where I’m like, ‘man, this ain’t good for you, dude, like, go up.’…Yeah, [1]85, man, I can’t see him doing that, luckily for us.”

It will be fascinating to observe whether Alex Pereira adheres to his statement and transitions to the middleweight division. Additionally, it will be intriguing to watch the evolution of the friendship between Strickland and Pereira. Will they maintain their camaraderie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.