Who is Zhilei Zhang? Find out about the Chinese ex-Olympian boxer Alex Pereira is training with for Israel Adesanya rematch

Alex Pereira is preparing for his first title defense, set to take place at UFC 287 on April 8, against Israel Adesanya.

Pereira was recently captured sparring with former Olympic silver medalist heavyweight boxer Zhilei Zhang, who hails from China. Zhang is preparing for a fight of his own, as he will step into the squared circle against Joe Joyce for the WBO interim heavyweight title.

Zhang is a former Asian Games gold medalist and was ranked as the 11th best heavyweight in the world by The Ring in September 2022. His record currently sits at 24-1-1, with his first defeat coming in his previous bout against Filip Hrgovic.

Alex Pereira is regarded as one of, if not the biggest, middleweights in the UFC and was dwarfed in size by Zhilei Zhang. 'Poatan' posted the following on Instagram:

"What a sparring!! After doing 4 rounds with @zhileibigbangzhang I am more confident for my next fight, it was a very tough and dangerous sparring but I needed it and confirmed I am ready!!" [Translated from Portuguese by Google]

See the post below:

Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya are set to headline UFC 287 alongside an exciting welterweight co-main event between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal. The pay-per-view card will also feature talented fighters like Kevin Holland, Adrian Yanez, and many more.

---

Francis Ngannou previews Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 287

Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou share a good relationship, and alongside Kamaru Usman, led the charge for African-born fighters to excel in the UFC.

'The Predator' holds Adesanya in high regard, and whilst previewing the upcoming clash between Alex Pereira and 'The Last Stylebender', Ngannou stated that Adesanya has the best fight IQ in the UFC.

'The Last Stylebender' lost the 185-pound title to 'Poatan' at UFC 281 last year. Adesanya was dominating the bout and appeared to be on his way to a decision victory. But Alex Pereira landed a series of powerful blows in the final round that forced the referee to stop the fight.

Ngannou refrained from giving Israel Adesanya any advice and is confident that he will be fully prepared for the clash.

Francis Ngannou recently spoke to Helen Yee and said:

"I think his fighting IQ, his striking IQ, is the best out there. He has a great team around him that have been working with him the entire time and they will know exactly [what to do]."

Watch the video below from 0:40: