Alex Pereira praises Glover Teixeira and corner following UFC 281 win over Israel Adesanya

Alex Pereira is the new UFC Middleweight Champion and he’s giving his cornermen a ton of credit.

Pereira challenged Adesanya for the 185-pound gold this past Saturday night. The title fight emanated from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Adesanya looked to be getting the better of Pereira on the feet, although “Poatan’s” power remained a threat. In the final round, Pereira had “The Last Stylebender” on wobbly legs until referee Marc Goddard called off the fight.

Speaking with reporters during the UFC 281 post-fight press conference, Alex Pereira said that the corner advice he received throughout the fight was honest and kept him on track (via MMAFighting).

“I knew it was going to be a very hard fight,” Pereira said via translator. “I tried to pace myself, but going into the last round, my corners and Glover kept it real with me. I looked at him and said, ‘Do I have to knock him out?’ And Glover said, ‘You do have to knock him out.’ And then I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”

Pereira’s UFC Middleweight Championship win over Adesanya was just his fourth UFC fight. It was also just his eighth pro MMA outing. This is also the third time “Poatan” has beaten Adesanya. He holds two kickboxing victories over him, and now has a massive MMA win against “The Last Stylebender.”

Fans shouldn’t be too surprised if there’s an immediate rematch. UFC President Dana White told reporters that he isn’t opposed to the idea during the UFC 281 post-fight press conference.