Two former opponents have become valuable friends after they met inside the UFC Octagon.
At UFC 312 this weekend, Sean Strickland will be cornered by the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
This isn’t the first time that ‘Poatan’ has made the walk alongside the former middleweight titleholder and it seemingly won’t be the last.
The two men have struck up a great friendship and training dynamic, despite Pereira’s lack of English, and the 205-pound champ even made the trip over to Sydney to corner his friend during his own preparations for his return at UFC 313 next month.
Though Sean Strickland and Pereira may be on the same team now, it wasn’t that long ago that they went head-to-head in a huge fight for the middleweight division back in 2022.
A lot has changed since their first encounter with both men going on to hold the 185-pound gold.
Alex Pereira skyrocketed up the middleweight ladder by stopping Sean Strickland in style
At UFC 276 in Las Vegas, Strickland put his #4 ranking on the line against the unranked Pereira.
‘Poatan’ had earned back-to-back wins inside the Octagon since debuting the previous November but if he was able to beat Strickland impressively, considering his past history with the champion Israel Adesanya, he would be in position for a title shot at 185-pounds.
Strickland was riding a five-fight win streak at middleweight since returning to the division.
At the pre-fight press conference, he made it clear that he didn’t think he would need to turn into a wrestler in order to beat the kickboxing specialist, along with throwing some shots the way of Adesanya who headlined the card in a title defense against Jared Cannonier.
“I mean, Alex is a big scary f—— Brazilian, I think we all admit that,” Strickland said. “You’re at an ATM and this m———– walks up behind you in the middle of the night, you tell me what, you’re gonna be walking away.
“He’s a tough dude, you know, I’ve trained with plenty of good kickboxers, I think I could handle it.
“After me and him have a war and I beat Alex, you’re gonna say I’m a whole different guy. I’m gonna start painting my nails, acting like a female, I’ll be wearing sunglasses inside. You know what I’m saying, things will be different bro.”
Whilst Strickland is now known for his effective defensive style, as many expected, his striking skills were no match for Pereira.
The American continued to push forward throughout the first round but after landing a few shots to the body, the Brazilian was able to drop his opponent’s right hand to land a devastating left hook, closing the show just past the halfway mark of the opening stanza.
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Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira have since become friends
For an MMA fighter, learning from a former opponent who has already studied you and in Sean Strickland’s case, beaten you, offers valuable insight.
Training with Alex Pereira has clearly made him a better defensive fighter whilst for the current light heavyweight champion, having a partner that is happy to continuously walk forward and push the pace on him is a great look to get in the gym.
‘Poatan’, who is seemingly motivated by his own personal dislike of 185-pound champion Dricus du Plessis, will now try to help Strickland recapture the middleweight title which he previously held after going on to dethrone Israel Adesanya off the back of his big win at UFC 276.