They may have a severe lack of quality wins in MMA, but the UFC is pushing Alex Pereira and Sean O’Malley as the A-side in their contests with more established veterans. It makes sense. Even if it was in kickboxing as opposed to MMA, Pereira has defeated the reigning middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. Pereira may be inexperienced in MMA – this will only be his seventh MMA fight – but he has taken to the sport well. Plus, at 34, the UFC needs his evolution to be quick if they want to capitalize on the potential grudge match between Pereira and Adesanya.
UFC 276 main card preview: Sean Strickland looking to spoil UFC’s grand plans
