UFC 263: Israel Adesanya v Vettori 2

GLORY Kickboxing champion Alex Pereira, the only man to knockout Israel Adesanya, is likely UFC bound,

Alex Pereira, the only man in combat sports to knockout (KO) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) MIddleweight champion Israel Adesanya, is likely en route to the mixed martial arts (MMA) leader.

Pereira (33-6 in kickboxing, 3-1 in MMA) is close to signing a deal with the UFC, according to MMA Fighting following an initial report from De Telegraaf. "Poatan" is expected to join the UFC middleweight division after defending his GLORY Light Heavyweight championship against Artem Vakhitov at GLORY 78: Rotterdam on Sat., Sept. 4. Pereira is also the reigning GLORY Middleweight champion.

Pereira holds two kickboxing wins over Adesanya. He first defeated "The Last Stylebender" via unanimous decision at Glory of Heroes in April 2016. The two fought again at Glory of Heroes 7 in March 2017, scoring a left hook KO.

The GLORY champion's last MMA fight took place at LFA 95 on Nov. 20, 2020. Pereira scored a scary powerful KO punch in the first round that left opponent Thomas Powell immobilized on the mat for an extended period of time.

Adesanya (22-1 in MMA) reigns as the UFC Middleweight champion and never been finished in the sport. He is coming off a successful title defense against Marvin Vettori and is expected to rematch former champion Robert Whittaker.

Finished reading this story? The party doesn't have to stop. Click here to get more of the latest UFC news.