Alex Pereira reveals plans to train and learn English from former opponent Sean Strickland: “He’s a nice guy!”

By Josh Evanoff - June 5, 2023

Everyone might not be a fan of Sean Strickland, but Alex Pereira is cool with him.

‘Poatan’ has been out of action since his rematch with Israel Adesanya in April. Just a few months prior to that bout, Pereira captured the gold with a fifth-round stoppage win over ‘The Last Stylebender’. However, the former middleweight champion got his revenge at UFC 288.

In the pay-per-view main event, the Brazilian lost his title by second-round stoppage. While there was brief talk of a potential trilogy, that hasn’t come to fruition. Instead, Adesanya is waiting for his next title challenger, which will come from a UFC 290 clash between Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis.

Meanwhile, Alex Pereira is slated to return at UFC 291 against Jan Blachowicz. The bout will be the Brazilian’s light-heavyweight debut, and he’s doing everything he can to be prepared. That seemingly includes a future training session alongside Sean Strickland.

‘Tarzan’ was famously knocked out by the former champion at UFC 276 last year. However, Pereira seemingly respects Strickland and wants to bring him in ahead of his next fight.

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Alex Pereira, Sean Strickland, UFC 276

“Alex holds no grudge against anybody,” The Brazilian’s translater stated on a recent edition of The MMA Hour. “Sean Strickland is coming here for one week with him for his next fight. Yep, Sean Strickland is coming to Connecticut, yep, next week. He said he’s going to learn English with Sean Strickland.”

He continued, “He’s a bit crazy. But, he’s a nice guy you know what I mean? He talked about a lot of these guys, but he’s always treated Alex very respectfully. So, he’s very welcome in our home.”

What do you make of this news? Are you excited about Alex Pereira’s return at UFC 291 against Jan Blachowicz?


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Alex Pereira Sean Strickland UFC