Opinion: Why does it feel like Alex Pereira going 3-0 against Israel Adesanya isn't enough?

Earlier this month at UFC 281, Alex Pereira shocked the world by becoming the first man to defeat Israel Adesanya at 185lbs in the octagon. The win made him the new UFC middleweight champion, and instantly shot him to the top of the division’s rankings.

Despite his thrilling win, which came via TKO in the fifth round, it still feels like ‘Poatan’ has plenty to prove in the octagon. It almost feels like he isn’t being treated like a potentially dominant champion like Adesanya was when he won the title, and that seems a little strange.

Does a fifth round title win like Alex Pereira’s leave too many questions?

There were a number of unanswered questions after Alex Pereira's fifth round win over Israel Adesanya

One train of thought might suggest that because Alex Pereira’s title win came in the fifth round, it wasn’t a strong enough performance for him to be considered a potentially dominant champion.

However, the reaction to some of 2022’s other fifth round title wins suggests that isn’t the case. Jiri Prochazka overcame Glover Teixeira in the dying seconds of their light-heavyweight title bout. Meanwhile, Leon Edwards was clearly losing before knocking out Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title.

All three fighters have dethroned previously dominant champions, and in fact, it’s arguable that ‘Poatan’ beat the best fighter of the three. So why does it feel like the Brazilian is being looked at in a different way to both Prochazka and Edwards?

Put simply, it could all be to do with the fact that both fans and observers treat wins in the UFC more importantly than elsewhere.

Alex Pereira was fast-tracked to his shot against Israel Adesanya

Alex Pereira was fast-tracked to his title shot after beating Sean Strickland

It’s probably not unfair to suggest that Alex Pereira was fast-tracked to his UFC middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya. Usually, unless they’re a champion from a rival promotion, a fighter needs to build a lot of experience before fighting for a title in the octagon.

That wasn’t the case for ‘Poatan.’ He was handed a shot at gold after just three fights in the promotion, and it wasn’t like he had plenty of MMA experience beforehand. In fact, prior to his fight with Israel Adesanya, his overall ledger stood at just 6-1.

The reason for his fast-tracking was always clear, though. Not only had Adesanya already beaten any other viable contender, but Pereira held two wins over him from their time in the kickboxing ring. Naturally, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was gunning for revenge.

Additionally, Pereira’s three wins prior to his title shot were impressive. His knockout of Andreas Michailidis was highlight-reel worthy. Bruno Silva had garnered some hype of his own as a prospect before running into ‘Poatan.’ Sean Strickland was riding a lengthy win streak and was ranked in the top ten at 185lbs.

However, those three wins alone wouldn’t normally be enough for a title shot. The biggest, over Strickland, saw ‘Tarzan’ play directly into the Brazilian’s hands by striking with him in a massively risky way.

There are still tons of questions around Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira still has a number of question marks hanging over him

The obvious reason why Alex Pereira being 3-0 against Israel Adesanya doesn’t seem to be good enough for some fans is the fact that there are still questions around ‘Poatan.’

There’s definitely an argument that he has the number of ‘The Last Stylebender.’ If that were not the case, though, he may have been derailed by one of the higher-ranked contenders at 185lbs like Marvin Vettori or Robert Whittaker.

After all, we simply don’t know all that much about the Brazilian’s overall game. Could Pereira survive on the ground with a top-level grappler, after showing some issues there against Adesanya? How would his cardio hold up against the kind of pressure that someone like Whittaker could bring?

The fans and observers who still question ‘Poatan’ might be more respectful had he simply destroyed Adesanya. However, that wasn’t the case at all.

In fact, it’s arguable that the Brazilian was clearly heading for a unanimous decision loss before he kicked into high gear in the fifth round and opened up with a fight-ending flurry. Even that sequence was largely made possible by Adesanya hurting his own leg attempting a low kick.

Essentially, then, it’s arguable that Pereira is middleweight’s answer to Leon Edwards. This albeit without the lengthy unbeaten streak in the octagon that led ‘Rocky’ to a welterweight title shot.

How can Alex Pereira really prove himself to the doubters?

Alex Pereira will be hoping to prove his doubters wrong in the future

Right now, it seems highly likely that Israel Adesanya will be handed a chance to reclaim the UFC middleweight title from Alex Pereira in a rematch. So, if ‘Poatan’ can beat ‘The Last Stylebender’ again and go 4-0 against him, will be finally get the respect that he warrants?

Wildly, the answer may well be no. In the eyes of his doubters, Pereira could probably go 10-0 against Adesanya and it wouldn’t be enough. ‘Poatan’ might have Adesanya’s number, but simply having the ability to beat one fighter – no matter how great they are – isn’t enough to become a legend.

Essentially, if Pereira wants to become a dominant champion like Adesanya was at 185lbs, he’ll need to beat the likes of Whittaker, Vettori and Jared Cannonier. None of those fighters are as good as ‘The Last Stylebender’, but ‘Poatan’ finds himself in a unique situation in UFC history.

Therefore, Pereira can prove that he belongs at the top of the middleweight division – but for now, it’s hard not to understand why it feels like the Brazilian going 3-0 against Adesanya just isn’t enough.