SAN DIEGO – Bruno Silva thinks oddsmakers have it wrong for the middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
Middleweight champion Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) currently is a slight favorite heading into his sixth title defense against former kickboxing foe Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC 281 on Nov. 12.
However, having gone the distance in an entertaining loss to Pereira in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 203 in March, Silva (22-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) thinks the odds should favor Pereira, who already has defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing.
“I do see right now that Alex is the favorite,” Pereira said Wednesday at UFC on ESPN 41 media day. “But if Adesanya fights the way he fought maybe two years ago, I would see him winning the fight. But I don’t think that’s the person that he’s bringing right now, so I do see Alex being the favorite for this one.”
Silva isn’t fond of the fighting style of Adesanya, who hasn’t notched a finish since a TKO of Paulo Costa in September 2020. He thinks Adesanya needs to ramp up his aggression in order to find success against Pereira.
“He needs to stop fighting boring,” Silva said. “He’s putting me to sleep with what he’s been doing lately. This is a guy who has so much baggage coming into MMA. We know what he’s capable of – so much experience. But Alex, Glory (Kickboxing), everything he comes with – these are two very experienced fighters.
“But the thing is, Adesanya – yes, he has to fight aggressively. He has to be more offensive. I am not a fan of his fighting style, regardless, but I do think that he needs to be less boring in order to win that fight – like he fought two years ago.”
Silva will look to rebound from his loss to Pereira when he meets Gerald Meerschaert (34-15 MMA, 9-7 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 41 main card, which takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 41.
