After talking on social media regarding the unlikely bromance between Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland, the pair did, in fact, spar together.
Last week Pereria disclosed that Strickland would fly to Connecticut, and the pair would train together. The former middleweight champion also humorously revealed that Strickland would teach him some English trash-talk. Although the pair have shared the cage in the past, both men seemed to get along fine.
When Pereira and Strickland met at UFC 276, the Brazilian caught Strickland with a beautifully timed hook which sent him unconscious to the canvas. Having learnt his lesson, Strickland clearly gave Pereira the respect when sparring. Perhaps the same respect he should have given the former kickboxer last Summer. Obviously, in a controlled environment, both men took it easy. However, the duo did land some tidy shots at each other.
Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland Spar
Pereira is set to return to the cage for the first time after losing his middleweight crown to long-time rival Israel Adesanya. In April at UFC 287, Adesanya evened the score in MMA by stopping Pereira in the second round. Due to the tough weight cuts for Pereira in his former division, he moved to light heavyweight, where Jan Blachowicz will welcome him on his debut in the UFC 291 co-main event in Salt Lake City.
In the meantime, Strickland will take the main event slot at UFC Vegas 76 when met with Abus Magomedov. The fight will mark the No.7 ranked middleweight’s third consecutive main event. In January, Strickland stopped himself from three back-to-back losses when earning a five-round decision over Nassourdine Imaov. Before that, he dropped a split decision to Jared Cannonier and was stopped by Pereira.
Both men would have picked up some unique tricks and tips from the short time they trained alongside each other, and who knows, it may not be long until wee see Strickland and Pereira join forces again.
What do you make of the link-up between Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira. Let us know in the comments!
