At 2:36 into the first round of a middleweight title eliminator, Pereira knocked Strickland out.
The battle had been peaceful and orderly up until that point. After the two fought, Pereira delivered a left. This time, Strickland was hit twice. After his second fall, the referee halted the match.
If Pereira wins over Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event, he will face Israel Adesanya for a third time. Both kickboxing fights were won by Pereira's decision in the first meeting. In the rematch, Pereira defeated Adesanya by TKO.
In 2020, Adesanya joined the MMA ring, and Pereira has been pursuing him ever since. His third fight came at UFC 276. His other two victories were against Bruno Silva and Andreas Michailidis.
For the UFC championship, he'll face Israel Adesanya.
