5 reasons why Alex Pereira will not repeat Israel Adesanya's success in the UFC

#2. Adesanya's style is better suited for MMA

Alex Pereira's style is, for the aforementioned reasons, riddled with more risks than Adesanya's. While it makes the Brazilian a more successful knockout artist, it also exposes him to more threats.

Adesanya, by contrast, has an elusive style that did not require as many adjustments as Pereira's might.

At 6 feet 4 inches tall with an 80 inch reach, Adesanya is taller and longer than virtually everyone in the middleweight division. He uses this length and reach to force opponents into overextending.

He pulls back at the waist to lean away from punches and kicks, using a pull-counter left hook to intercept his opponent as they come in. This causes Adesanya's opponents to miss a disproportionate amount of punches and kicks aimed at his head, frustrating them into fixating more on landing on his head instead of his body and legs. That makes them miss even more, while rendering him less hittable.

Furthermore, Adesanya's preference for fighting from long range on the outside makes it difficult for wrestlers to shoot in on his hips as they must cover a longer distance than they're accustomed to.

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#1. Pereira is being fast-tracked

Israel Adesanya was 11-0 before joining the UFC. Alex Pereira, on the other hand, signed with the promotion after only four fights.

Now that he's a 6-1 fighter, there are already plans for Pereira to face Adesanya for the middleweight championship if he can defeat Sean Strickland in their upcoming UFC 276 bout.

Pereira has not been given enough time to adjust properly to MMA. With only six MMA wins, he is still new to the sport. This inexperience will lead to what will likely be a tougher career now that he'll be facing stiffer competition.