Former UFC champ-champ Henry Cejudo wants to see Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have their trilogy match in MMA, and have two belts on the line.
Adesanya is expected to face Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title next time out, and if he wins, Cejudo wants him to move up to light heavyweight to face Pereira. Adesanya and Pereira are 1-1 against each other in MMA and ‘Triple C’ is hopeful the trilogy in MMA will happen.
“We got Adesanya’s reaction, I mean, he’s a little speechless to say the least,” Cejudo said on Pound 4 Pound podcast (via MMANews). “That being said, the dude is a problem. If you don’t wrestle this dude, your probability of really beating him are going to go down, I mean, there’s a reason why Israel Adesanya doesn’t want to fight him at 85 nor 205, and you know what? I don’t blame him because if you’re just gonna strike with him, he’s going to pick you apart. But it also lets you know how good Izzy is to be able to win rounds and actually hurt a guy like Alex Pereira…
“Who knows guys? Potentially, Israel Adesanya wins that bout against Dricus du Plessis,” Cejudo added. “Maybe they can run it back, belt versus belt bout at 185 or at 205.”
Although Cejduo is looking for a Belt vs. Belt fight, it wouldn’t happen in the UFC as only one title would be on the line. But, it is a unique idea by Cejudo that would add to the intrigue of the potential trilogy match.
Israel Adesanya Likely To Face Dricus Du Plessis Next
Israel Adesanya’s next fight is likely to be for the middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis.
Adesanya revealed he was offered the title fight at UFC 300, but the South African wasn’t ready in time. Instead, it appears the fight will be happening in Australia at UFC 305 in Aug. 18, as Du Plessis has hinted at that being the case.
If Adesanya does beat Du Plessis and reclaim the middleweight title, perhaps the trilogy with Pereira does come to fruition.