If Willis E. Davidge and Drac pilot Jariba Shigan can learn to work together, then surely former UFC middleweight champions, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, can turn their longstanding rivalry into a productive partnership.
Sort of like Adesanya did with fellow ex-champion, Robert Whittaker.
“Yeah definitely down the road,” Adesanya told MMA Fighting about training alongside Pereira. “Me and Alex, I’ve already said I got what I wanted from that fight. I think the MMA world just gets greedy and tries to ruin a good thing because they want more. Never knowing when to quit. That’s why you shouldn’t gamble. But yeah, eventually it will, but right now it’s not that time.”
Adesanya and Pereira fought twice on the kickboxing circuit (2-0 for Pereira) and twice under the UFC banner (tied at 1-1).
Adesanya is unlikely to partner with Pereira for as long as Carlos Ulberg remains a threat to the 205-pound throne. “Black Jag” trains with “The Last Stylebender” at City Kickboxing and could challenge for “Poatan’s” light heavyweight title later this year.
Ulberg will first have to dispose of former division kingpin, Jan Blachowicz, at UFC London in March. In addition, Pereira will defend the crown against No. 1 contender, Magomed Ankalaev, atop the UFC 313 pay-per-view (PPV) in just a few weeks.
“He lives so far away, the opportunity hasn’t arisen,” Adesanya continued. “We still have guys like Carlos in the trenches, working hard, getting ready for his next fight so he can become a No. 1 contender. I’ll always respect ‘Poatan.’ He’s a guy that we already understood this and we’ve already shared this with each other, so yeah, it will happen one day. Who knows when.”
The 35 year-old Adesanya (24-4) returns to action against French phenom Nassourdine Imavov (15-4, 1 NC) as part of the upcoming UFC Saudi Arabia event on ESPN+, scheduled for this Sat. (Feb. 1, 2025) at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
For much more on that high-octane showdown click here.