Sean Strickland Explains Why Alex Pereira Will Be In His Corner at UFC 312

Sean Strickland Explains Why Alex Pereira Will Be In His Corner at UFC 312


Two former UFC middleweight champions are joining forces in a bid to dethrone the current champion at UFC 312.

Former 185-pound champion Sean Strickland is set to challenge reigning undisputed king Dricus Du Plessis in the main event in Sydney, Australia this weekend, and his corner team will be bolstered by the presence of another former champion, reigning light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.

More news: Sean Strickland Recalls ‘Most Challenging’ Moment in First Fight With Dricus Du Plessis

Opponents Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira of Brazil face off during the UFC 276 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 30, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Strickland and Pereira shared the Octagon at UFC 276 back in the summer of 2022, when he was knocked out in the first round by “Poatan,” who subsequently went on to dethrone Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title.

Adesanya later stopped Pereira to reclaim the belt, with the Brazilian later moving up to light heavyweight and eventually capturing the 205-pound title.

Strickland, meanwhile, regrouped from his knockout loss to Pereira to earn a shot at the middleweight title, then outpointed Adesanya to capture the belt at UFC 293.

Strickland was dethroned in his first title defense after finding himself on the short end of a razor-close split-decision verdict last January as he lost to Du Plessis by the narrowest of margins at UFC 297.

Now Strickland will face Du Plessis in a middleweight title rematch at UFC 312, and the American has enlisted the help of Pereira in a bid to recapture the title at 185 pounds.

Speaking to UFC.com during a fight-week sit down with the promotion, Strickland explained how the unlikely partnership was forged.

“Yeah, Alex is gonna corner me. He was already out here. And I was like, ‘Dude, if you’re out here, man, swing by!'” he said.

“Me and Alex,I don’t think we ever actually spoke a word to each other, you know? But I think Alex is an angry motherf****r. Alex is angry and, for some reason, he hates Dricus. I don’t know what you did to him, but he f*****g hates you, dude!

“The way he looks at Dricus sometimes, I’m like, ‘Dude! I’m fighting him, dog! It’s me, dude!’

“But yeah, Alex just has that hate in his heart, and he’s a good dude.”

More news: Israel Adesanya Won’t Be UFC Champion Again, Says Middleweight Contender

Strickland revealed that he’s also getting help from another top UFC contender, with Brazilian middleweight contender Caio Borralho in town to corner his Fighting Nerds teammate Bruna Brasil, who faces Chinese fighter Wang Cong in a women’s flyweight bout on the preliminary card in Sydney.

“It’s kind of cool. Caio is out here. He’s cornering (Brasil), but he’s out here, so we’re going to spar after this,” said Strickland.

“We’ve got a lot of guys out here from different gyms that we train with. So it just kind of feels like I’m back at home!”

More MMA:

Dricus Du Plessis Says Facing Fellow UFC Champion Would Be ‘Easy Payday’

UFC Saudi Arabia: Nassourdine Imavov Stuns Israel Adesanya in Riyadh

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