Alex Pereira has another UFC legend in his camp for his first title defense.
This week, the reigning middleweight champion shared video of his final preparation for his matchup with longtime rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 on April 8. Featured prominently in the clips is former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.
Alongside recently retired former champion Glover Teixeira, Liddell can be seen closely observing Pereira’s sparring and also giving him advice on the finer points of clinch work.
Liddell is famously known as one of the innovators of “sprawl-and-brawl,” a technique that saw him utilize his wrestling to keep fights on the feet. “The Iceman” parlayed his skills into an enormously successful UFC run that saw him record four consecutive successful defenses of the light heavyweight title as well as the most knockouts in UFC history at 205 pounds (10).
Pereira also shared video (without audio) of Liddell offering more tips to him and his training partners.
UFC 287 marks the second meeting inside the octagon between Pereira and Adesanya, following Pereira’s stunning fifth-round knockout of Adesanya at UFC 281 this past November. The two previously met in a pair of kickboxing matches, with Pereira winning the first by a close decision and the second with a powerful third-round knockout.
Pereira was a Glory Kickboxing champion at both middleweight and light heavyweight and has mentioned the possibility of competing at 205 pounds in MMA, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he eventually follows in the footsteps of his famous coaches and moves up in weight to pursue the UFC light heavyweight title.