He can fight Israel's exact game - Anthony Smith on Israel Adesanya's biggest potential threat in the UFC

Anthony Smith believes Alex Pereira, an unranked middleweight, could have the best chance of dethroning Israel Adesanya.

Pereira is a former Glory middleweight and light-heavyweight double champion. The Brazilian has two kickboxing wins against Adesanya, once by knockout and once by unanimous decision. The Brazilian won his first fight in the UFC against Andreas Michailidis by second-round TKO.

During a recent appearance on the DC & RC Show, Anthony Smith opined that Alex Pereira would have a good chance against Israel Adesanya since he can hold his own in the striking department. However, Pereira could struggle to get a title shot since there are several high-level grapplers in his way. 'Lionheart' said:

"I think the guy that's probably got the best chance, and this is going to be a crazy statement. He's in the UFC but he's not ranked, and that's Alex Pereira. This kid's good. The problem with Alex is he's going to have a tough time getting to Israel... I'm not putting a whole lot of weight into him knocking out Israel in another organization, in another sport. He's a guy that can fight Israel at his exact game."

Watch Anthony Smith's take below:

---

Anthony Smith believes Jared Cannonier could pose a challenge for Israel Adesanya

During a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast, Smith highlighted the evolution of Adesanya's game. 'Lionheart' believes that the middleweight champion now employs a relatively risk-free approach and focuses on managing distance efficiently.

Smith drew parallels between 'The Last Stylebender' and Jon Jones in his last couple of fights.

"I think Jared Cannonier creates an interesting problem for [Israel Adesanya], especially given his last couple of fights. [Adesanya's] fighting very safe, intelligent. He reminds me a lot of [Jon Jones]," Michael Bisping said, "The recent Jon."

Smith then spoke about Adesanya's prospects against Jared Cannonier:

"Yes. I mean, he's shutting people down... I don't think a guy like Cannonier, you're going to be able to just sit back and chill. He's a physical guy. He's big. He's explosive."

Here's the episode of the Believe You Me podcast:

After his win over Derek Brunson, Jared Cannonier is expected to be next in Iine for a shot at the middleweight title. Israel Adesanya's camp has also declared that his quest for the light heavyweight strap isn't over.