Maintaining he has now settled the score with Brazilian rival, Alex Pereira off the back of his April knockout win, UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya admits that he will likely never share a combat sports setting with the former again – unless the former lands light heavyweight spoils.
Adesanya, the current and two-time middleweight champion, headlined UFC 287 back in April in Miami, Florida against Sao Paulo native, Pereira, scoring a stunning second round KO win over the former GLORY Kickboxing gold holder.
The knockout win returned Adesanya to the winner’s enclosure for the first time in his middleweight career in mixed martial arts, following a UFC 281 standing TKO loss to Pereira in their title showdown.
Israel Adesanya plays down a potential rematch with Alex Pereira
And despite boasting a 1-3 record against Brazilian knockout artist, Pereira over the course of their four-fight professional series, Adesanya, who claims that his score with the former is settled, also denied a possible fight with the Brazilian in the future again.
“If (Alex Pereira) wins the 205 [pound] belt, maybe,” Israel Adesanya said of another fight with Alex Pereira during an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “If – if he wins the 205 pound belt.”
“If I wanna bet money on it, no,” Israel Adesanya explained. “‘Cause 205 – I’ve been there, it’s hard. It’s no easy task. But, yeah, if he wins the 205 pound belt though – and they [the UFC] might give him a fast track, like they did with me. And then they’re gonna have a magic, crazy, f*cking epic fight with me and him. Then that’ll be us for the fifth time – ain’t that wild?”
Yet to be booked since reclaiming gold, Adesanya has been earmarked to headline a September pay-per-view card against either former champion, Robert Whittaker, or the surging, Dricus du Plessis.
As for Pereira, the fan-favorite finisher has been booked to co-headline UFC 291 next month in Salt Lake City, Utah – taking on soon-to-be common-foe, former light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz.