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Pereira blasts Strickland with 1st-round TKO

Jeff Bottari / UFC / Getty

Alex Pereira took a massive step toward the UFC middleweight title - and former kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya - on Saturday night.

Pereira knocked out the No. 4-ranked Sean Strickland at the 2:36 mark of the first round at UFC 276 in Las Vegas.

The Brazilian fighter dropped Strickland with his patented left hook after spending the two first minutes of the fight picking him apart from the outside. As Strickland tried to get up, Pereira put him down for good with a straight right.

The former GLORY Kickboxing champion is now 3-0 in the UFC and could receive a title shot against the winner of Israel Adesanya versus Jared Cannonier, which headlines UFC 276. Pereira holds two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing.

Strickland saw his six-fight winning streak come to an end. This was his first defeat since May 2018 and only the second knockout loss of his 29-bout career.

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