The former world champion kickboxer just added world champion mixed martial artist to his bevy of distinctions, only eight fights into his run in this new sport. That’s pretty rare in modern MMA.
Back in 1993, Ultimate Fighting Championship pitted 16 men of different martial arts disciplines against one another to decide which style — and which martial artist — reigned supreme.Over the years, one discipline or another would have its day in the sun. Slowly, the styles and practitioners adjusted to one another, until they looked less like specializations and specialists.
Saturday night, making the distinction that he is not merely a kickboxer who is competing in this sport. “I’ve been training a lot of MMA. I’ve got the weapons of an MMA fighter. I’m in love with the game, and I love training MMA.” Pereira later found his way out of a bad situation on the mat in the third after Adesanya – who dwarfs his rivals’ logged time in the cage and had arrived in the UFC 11-0 in MMA. Clearly, “specialist” comes with caveats, and not just because he says so.
Alex Pereira kicks Israel Adesanya during their UFC 281 fight at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12, 2022.Pereira is a unicorn. It takes a special set of circumstances for an athlete who’s competed just four times in MMA — only one of them happening in the last six years — to march into the premier proving ground in mixed martial arts and reach the apex within a year, within four more fights.
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