Alex Pereira is set to face Israel Adesanya in a clash that would mark their fourth professional combat sports contest against one another. Ahead of his highly-anticipated matchup against ‘Izzy’, Pereira has lately been training with UFC legend Chuck Liddell.
‘Poatan’ has now taken to Twitter to post an image of himself sporting Liddell’s iconic mohawk hairstyle and goatee beard. Addressing his upcoming showdown against Adesanya, Pereira posted a tweet that contained the aforementioned image, alongside a statement that read as follows:
“Soon ? #theiceman #chuckliddell #ready #pronto #ufc287”
The MMA community subsequently responded to the same. One fan notably alluded to how dangerous Pereira and Liddell are. They added that Adesanya would be so intimidated by Pereira sporting the Liddell look that he wouldn’t dare to enter the octagon:
“izzy wouldn’t even step into the octagon”
Additionally, another fan jested that Alex Pereira is sporting the Chuck Liddell look likely because Israel Adesanya must’ve claimed that his favorite fighter is Tito Ortiz. Liddell happens to be Ortiz’s longtime rival:
“When Izzy says his favorite fighter is Tito…”
Other fans chimed in by asserting that Pereira will defeat Adesanya yet again, going 4-0 against him:
“4-0!!!!”
Meanwhile, one Twitter user insinuated that Pereira could use Liddell’s moniker i.e. ‘The Iceman.’ The fan tweeted:
“Alex “The Iceman” Pereira”
Several fans appreciated Pereira’s sense of humor. One Twitter user noted:
“Unironically the funniest fighter in the UFC”
Another fan tweeted a hybrid image and name for ‘Poatan,’ Photoshopping Alex Pereira’s face on Chuck Liddell’s body:
“Aleuck “Poatan Iceman” Pereidell”
Alternatively, one fan implied that the look doesn’t suit Pereira:
“Brother No shave that sh** and grow a beard if anything”
Moreover, another fan harked back to Israel Adesanya warning Alex Pereira that he’d leave him frozen like the Disney character Elsa. Indicating that ‘Izzy’ would be the one getting frozen by Pereira — who’s sporting ‘The Iceman’s’ look — the fan tweeted:
“Izzy getting frozen like Elsa”
Israel Adesanya finds himself at a crossroads against Alex Pereira at UFC 287
Israel Adesanya was defeated by Alex Pereira via unanimous decision in 2016 and via third-round KO in 2017 in their kickboxing bouts. Their third professional combat sports clash against each other was an MMA bout in the UFC. The fight, which transpired in November 2022, saw Adesanya lose his UFC middleweight title to Pereira via fifth-round TKO.
The vast majority of MMA fans and experts believe that Alex Pereira‘s upcoming UFC middleweight title defense against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 on April 8 will be a pivotal matchup for both fighters. Pereira, for his part, has vowed to beat ‘Izzy’ for the fourth time and dominantly end their long-running rivalry.
On the other hand, many foresee the matchup as a crossroads fight for Adesanya, as a fourth loss to the same fighter could further dent the combat sports megastar’s aura of dominance in the UFC.