Alex Pereira has been fast tracked by the UFC to stop him from being 'exposed', Israel Adesanya's coach has claimed.
Pereira has spent almost his entire career competing in the world of kickboxing.
However, he now finds himself the No-6 ranked middleweight in the world's premier mixed martial arts organisation according to the latest official update, courtesy of a stunning performance against Sean Strickland.
And according to Eugene Bareman - who trains UFC middleweight champion Adesanya - it is for good reason as he gave his brutally honest assessment of the Brazilian.
Bareman told Submission Radio: “They need to get Peireira to Israel as fast as they can.
“Because obviously Pereira has a lot of vulnerabilities, and if they wait too long, those vulnerabilities will get exposed, and then there’s no fight.
"So you’ve got to push him toward Israel as fast as you can before any of those vulnerabilities are exposed.
"So that looks like it’s a next fight. Israel would love that fight. Israel would love that fight.
Alex Pereira owns two wins over Israel Adesanya
"I think he wants the fight. So, I mean, Israel’s the champ, he’s the man that’s put himself in a position where he can choose what he wants to do. So, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the next fight.”
Pereira may boast two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing, but Bareman insists it will be a different story this time in MMA.
He added: “I see what I always see. I see Israel getting a victory over that opponent. It’s got nothing to do with that it’s a new sport.
"I believe Israel beat him the first time. And Israel’s always harping on about it. If you watch the second fight, Israel was beating him handedly the second fight.
"And at the end that doesn’t matter. You can win 99 percent of the fight, and if you get knocked out at the end, then you lost. Like, at the end, that doesn’t matter.
"But that’s a reflection of what level to me the two guys are comparatively. And so if they fight again, it is what it is.
“If that’s what the UFC want, if that’s what the UFC push, that’s what Israel wants, then I’m very comfortable with that fight.
"And, man, it’ll be a hell of a fight. Pereira’s a hell of a fighter. He’s one of the best in the world at what he does.
"He’s got a lot of vulnerabilities, but he has something that not many fighters have. He has that ability to turn your lights off in the blink of an eye. And it’s a rare gift, but my man’s had a hundred fights, and he’s dealt with people like that so many times.
"And it’s one thing to have the gift, it’s another to be able to use that gift against another opponent. And look, we’re obviously very confident that we’ll be able to win that fight.”
READ MORE: Israel Adesanya welcomes a trilogy fight with Alex Pereira
MORE: Kimbo Slice was the 'Mike Tyson' of street fighting who inspired Jorge Masvidal to take up MMA