Israel Adesanya has opened as the early betting favorite over Alex Pereira while City Kickboxing teammate Alexander Volkanovski is the underdog in a potential super-fight against Charles Oliveira.
BetOnline has Adesanya, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, as a -165 favorite to defeat + 145 underdog Pereira following ‘The Last Stylebender’s’ successful title defense against Jared Cannonier on Saturday.
Pereira, who is 2-0 over Adesanya in kickboxing, is expected to challenge Adesanya for the middleweight title following his stunning knockout victory over then-No. 4-ranked middleweight Sean Strickland at UFC 276. The Brazilian is the only man to KO Adesanya in kickboxing and will look to become the first man to KO the Nigerian-born New Zealander in MMA.