'He'll have a good chance of beating him' - John McCarthy believes Alex Pereira could fight Israel Adesanya with two more wins in the UFC

Former MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy analyzed Alex Pereira's UFC debut and stated that the Brazilian has a chance of beating the reigning middleweight kind, Israel Adesanya.

On McCarthy's podcast WEIGHING IN with co-host Josh Thomson, McCarthy stated:

"Alex Pereira... he's just a different beast when it comes to striking. He's got unbelievable power for the 185 pound weight class. And you can go back to his kickboxing fight with Adesanya, he starched Israel! Starched him... It's gonna come to a point where, let's say he gets three more wins. You know? Might be two more wins and he'll be 6-1 and fighting for a championship because the UFC knows...he can sell that fight [against Adesanya] by playing those clips where Israel suffered the knockout..."

Watch the full podcast below:

Alex Pereira made his octagon debut at UFC 268 against Andreas Michailidis. He knocked out Michailidis via a flying knee in the second round.

'Po Atan' defeated current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya twice when the two were competing in kickboxing promotion Glory of Heroes.

Pereira's second fight with 'The Last Stylebender' has gone viral on social media since Adesanya established himself as an unstoppable force in the UFC. The Brazilian knocked the Kiwi out cold in their second fight with a left hook in the third round.

Watch the finish below:

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Israel Adesanya predicted Alex Pereira's flying knee finish during the fight; reacted to the knockout with a 'pay me' gesture

Israel Adesanya has been active on YouTube lately to document his journey through the UFC.

On his channel FREESTYLEBENDER, the New Zealander predicted Pereira's incoming flying knee finish in real-time as he was seen watching UFC 268 at his home.

Speaking about Alex Pereira while watching his fight against Michailidis at UFC 268, Israel Adesanya said:

"I hope he does well, I hope he does well... he's gonna shoot a well timed knee. Just straight up! Bang! There it is! We talked about this like two days ago, that we need something new..."

Watch the full video below: