“Okay now it’s 3-2…” Israel Adesanya fully shuts down another fight with arch-rival Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya gives his final verdict on the Alex Pereira rivalry.

“Okay now it’s 3-2…” Israel Adesanya fully shuts down another fight with arch-rival Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya talks about his rivalry with Alex Pereira (via Imago)

Israel Adesanya is eager to see his old rival, Alex Pereira, in the main event of UFC 300. The excitement around Pereira’s next title defense against Jamahal Hill remains hyped. Adesanya predicted Hill to conquer Pereira. In the event that Pereira wins, don’t expect Adesanya to challenge ‘Poatan’ again.

Israel Adesanya recently sat down with Ariel Helwani and talked about Alex Pereira. Izzy mentioned that even if he beats ‘Poatan’ again, the fans won’t let it settle the rivalry. He felt it as enough of a reason not to fight Pereira again.

If I beat Alex next and knock him the f*** out again. What are they gonna say,’ok, it's 3-2 now’. It's the best out of seven. Who am I fighting for? It wasn't about fighting for anyone else but me…I beat him in the best way possible…that fight is over. I got some other beef to avenge.
Israel Adesanya via MMA Hour
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The rivalry between Adesanya and Pereira started back in the Glory Kickboxing days. At the time, the Brazilian defeated Adesanya twice. Once in the UFC, Pereira and Adesanya traded wins against each other. Pereira called out ‘The Last Stylebender’ after winning the light heavyweight title. However, Izzy did not accept the fight.

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Many fans want the rivalry to continue as it is 1-1 in MMA and deserving of a trilogy. However, Adesanya aims to focus on the middleweight division and fight the likes of Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis, and Khamzat Chimaev. As such, a trilogy fight between the two elite kickboxers will not happen.

Israel Adesanya speaks on potentially fighting Khamzat Chimaev

Israel Adesanya recently revealed his interest in potentially squaring off against rising contender Khamzat Chimaev in the future. Chimaev is currently scheduled to fight former champion Robert Whittaker. The fight will headline the much anticipated UFC event in Saudi Arabia.

Israel Adesanya wants to fight Khamzat Chimaev
Israel Adesanya wants to fight Khamzat Chimaev (via Forbes/Sports Illustrated)

Adesanya talked about the upcoming clash between Chimaev and Whittaker, acknowledging the significance of the matchup. It is the first time Chimaev has faced a legitimate middleweight opponent in his career. As such, Adesanya would like to fight the Chechen star if he overcomes the test of Whittaker. 

I like that [Whittaker vs. Chimaev], because I want to see what he can do. I’m excited. I like fights like that. I want to see what he can do actually at middleweight against a tough guy... If Khamzat beats Rob, I want to test that.
Israel Adesanya via MMA Hour

Given their fighting styles, a fight between the ‘Borz’ and Izzy is definitely intriguing. On top of it, Adesanya is also interested in getting back his UFC middleweight title from Dricus Du Plessis soon. Nevertheless, Izzy has already laid out his plans for his upcoming challenges, and it did not feature Alex Pereira.

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