Alex Pereira’s first-round knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276 impressed many people, but not former foe Bruno Silva.
"On his best blessed day, I was sure Strickland couldn't beat ‘Poatan,’ but when I saw him praising ‘Poatan’s’ abilities in the press conference, I knew [he was scared] and wouldn't last too long, and that's exactly what happened,” Silva told Sherdog.com.
The former M-1 Global champion, who is 3-1 in the UFC with a decision loss to Pereira, also criticized middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for his performance in a five-round verdict over Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event.
"Adesanya acts like he is a god but is actually one of the most boring champions nowadays,” Silva said. “I truly hope ‘Poatan’ brings the fight just like he did in his last fights, because certainly his left hand is still on Adesanya’s mind. I see the champion being more versatile and ‘Poatan’ more precise, but if he waits for Adesanya to act, in this case I see a boring fight with the champion keeping the belt.”
Silva is schedule to return to the Octagon on Aug. 13 against Gerald Meerschaert. “Blindado” revealed that his training to face the dangerous ground specialist, who owns 26 career submission victories, does not include a special focus on takedown defense.
“I'm training MMA as always,” Silva said. “I hope to be able to knock him out standing up, but if he takes me down, I will cut his face with my elbows. I don’t want to talk about tactics, but I'm bringing some surprises to him.”
Silva also revealed that Pereira is not the opponent with the heaviest hands he has faced in 29 career MMA bouts.
"The Russian Gennadiy Kovalev, who I knocked out in Russia in 2018, had the strongest punch I ever felt,” he said. “‘Poatan’ didn’t hit as hard, but he is certainly more precise. You must have a really strong chin to exchange with these guys and not get knocked out. I truly hope he beats Adesanya and gets the UFC belt. ‘Poatan’ proved my value to the world and I truly believe we will face each other again in the future, but this time in a five-round title fight.”
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