Israel Adesanya | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Alex Pereira urges Israel Adesanya to accept UFC rubber match: ‘Let’s show the world who is better in MMA’

Continuing to trade verbal barbs with career rival, Israel Adesanya following his UFC 287 middleweight title loss last month, Brazilian knockout artist, Alex Pereira has called for the City Kickboxing mainstay to accept a trilogy rubber match with him in order to determine who is the better mixed martial arts fighter. Pereira, a former undisputed […]

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion under the banner of the UFC, managed to snatch Adesanya’s title back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden, landing a fifth round standing TKO victory at UFC 281.

However, last month, Adesanya would score his first victory over Alex Pereira in their four-fight series, stopping the Sao Paulo knockout ace with a thunderous second round KO in the main event of UFC 287 in Miami, Florida.

Despite many backing Pereira’s 3-1 combined winning record over Adesanya throughout their kickboxing and mixed martial arts fighting series, the latter claimed that the quality of his knockout win over the former last month, should gazump any of his prior losses to Pereira.

Alex Pereira urges Israel Adesanya to fight him in UFC title trilogy fight

Taking umbrage with Adesanya’s theory, Pereira, who is set to make his light heavyweight division debut in his next Octagon walk, urged the Nigerian-Kiwi to meet him in a third mixed martial arts contest.

“In kickboxing it’s impossuble now to be better than me,” Alex Pereira tweeted in response to Israel Adesanya. “In MMA it’s 1:1. Be real with your fans and let’s show the world who is better in MMA.”

In kick-boxing it’s impossible now to be better than me. In MMA it’s 1:1. Be real with your fans and let’s show the world who is better in MMA.

— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) May 3, 2023

Yet to book an opponent for his expected light heavyweight climb, Pereira, a former two-weight champion under the GLORY Kickboxing banner, has weighed up potential 205lbs landings against the likes of former title challenger, Magomed Ankalaev, former champion, Jan Blachowicz, as well as current division kingpin, Jamahal Hill of note.

Robert Whittaker touts ability to finally beat Israel Adesanya: ‘I’m the biggest threat to his reign’

Despite suffering two professional losses against current UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, former undisputed division kingpin, Robert Whittaker maintains he still poses the biggest threat to the title reign of the Nigerian-Kiwi. Holding the current #2 rank in the official middleweight division, Whittaker, a former undisputed middleweight champion to boot under the banner of the […]

Holding the current #2 rank in the official middleweight division, Whittaker, a former undisputed middleweight champion to boot under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined since co-headlining UFC Fight Night Paris back in September, handing a one-sided decision win over Marvin Vettori.

The former gold holder has since been booked to feature at UFC 290 in July during International Fight Week against the surging South African contender, Dricus du Plessis in an official title-eliminator.

Robert Whittaker touts ability to defeat Israel Adesanya in third fight

Touting his ability to finally crack his win-less skid against Adesanya in a third title fight against the City Kickboxing staple, Whittaker or du Plessis will tackle the former in a return to Sydney, Australia for the UFC later this annum.

“He doesn’t want to fight me,” Robert Whittaker said during an interview with Fox Sports Australia. “I’m the hardest fight in the division for him. That first one, not so good for me. The second one, nearly. This third one though, I have a really good feeling.”

“I’ve been evolving every fight, you can see it,” Robert Whittaker explained. “If you watch back my fights, every fight I’ve been getting better. I think I’m the biggest threat to him and his reign at the present moment. So, of course he wants him (Dricus du Plessis) to win. It’s a much easier fight, but it doesn’t bother me.”

First winning interim middleweight gold back in July 2017, Whittaker defeated common-foe, Yoel Romero with a unanimous decision victory, before he was then later promoted to undisputed champion, ahead of a successful title rematch with Cuban veteran, Romero.

Jon Jones dismisses potential clash with Israel Adesanya, says Francis Ngannou is ‘Worth entertaining’

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has no interest in a potential superfight with middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya. Bones’ made his triumphant return to the Octagon in March, scoring a quick first-round submission victory over top contender Ciryl Gane to capture the vacant heavyweight championship. A month later, ‘The Last Stylebender’ delivered a highlight-reel-worthy knockout against […]

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has no interest in a potential superfight with middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya.

Bones’ made his triumphant return to the Octagon in March, scoring a quick first-round submission victory over top contender Ciryl Gane to capture the vacant heavyweight championship. A month later, ‘The Last Stylebender’ delivered a highlight-reel-worthy knockout against longtime rival Alex Pereira to reclaim the 185-pound crown. With both men perched firmly on their thrones once again, fans began to speculate about a potential superfight between the two top stars.

Well, don’t hold your breath. Despite making his first appearance in more than three years, Jon Jones does not have any intention of sticking around long. Dedicating his time left to a clash with general consensus heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic, ‘Bones’ has zero interest in a champion vs. champion showdown with Israel Adesanya.

“I feel like my legacy and my career are past his,” Jones said in an interview with Fox Sports Australia. “If this was like an Instagram following competition then yeah, we’d be neck and neck. But when it comes to our body of work, there’s no competition and there’s no reason for me to compare myself to him.

“He’s done great things, and you know, people say there’s lots of room in the sky for many stars, and he is undoubtedly a star but I feel like our careers are really un-comparable. Not a fight that I need, no.”

Jon Jones Willing to Put a Pause on Retirement for Heavyweight War with Francis Ngannou

After 27 career wins and three world title reigns across two different divisions, Jon Jones has little left to prove in the world of mixed martial arts. Once he closes the door on his still-being-written chapter with Stipe Miocic, ‘Bones’ looks content to call it a career. But there is still one man that would keep him from hanging up the gloves permanently.

Yeah, I do believe a Francis Ngannou fight would be worth entertaining, not retiring, yeah, I think if a Francis fight would come with some serious revenue, and I think that would make it worth my while,” Jones explained. “Francis is a former champion, and he’s pretty damn popular here in America and across the world. He’s very well-known and it would bring in a lot of money, and for that, I would be willing to come back.”

Unfortunately, the chances of Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou happening inside the Octagon are no better than seeing Jones vs. Adesanya. After nearly two years of negotiations, the promotion parted ways with Ngannou. UFC President Dana White has stated on more than one occasion that ‘The Predator’ would never work for the company again after bending over backward trying to keep the Cameroonian on the roster.

Since becoming a free agent, Ngannou has made it difficult for promotions to acquire his services with both ONE Championship and the BKFC noting that the former UFC heavyweight champion was simply asking for too much. However, recent rumors suggest at least one company was willing to give in to Ngannou’s demands, striking a verbal agreement. No official announcement has been made, but the PFL looks to be that company.

Unless Jon Jones is planning to make his own jump from the Octagon to the Smart Cage, it’s probably time to give up on ever seeing the two larger-than-life combat sports stars go toe-to-toe.

Israel Adesanya defends decision to mock Alex Pereira’s son following UFC 287 win: ‘I did that kid a favor’

Undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has defended his decision to mock the son of arch-rival, Alex Pereira following his victory at UFC 287 last month, claiming he did the teenager “a favor”. Adesanya, who headlined UFC 287 last month in a championship rematch against Brazilian striker, Pereira, managed to defeat the defending middleweight titleholder […]

Adesanya, who headlined UFC 287 last month in a championship rematch against Brazilian striker, Pereira, managed to defeat the defending middleweight titleholder in a second round knockout win, reclaiming his undisputed crown.

The victory came as Adesanya’s first in his four-fight series against Pereira, having dropped his middleweight title to the Sao Paulo native at UFC 281 back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden.

In the immediate aftermath of his win over Pereira, City Kickboxing striker, Adesanya aimed a pointed celebration in the direction of Alessandro, Pereira, his opponent’s son, recreating his mocking celebration from a 2018 knockout loss Adesanya suffered under the GLORY Kickboxing banner.

Israel Adesanya stands by decision to mock Alex Pereira’s son at UFC 287

Receiving flak for his actions – most notably from former champion and past-opponent, Robert Whittaker, Adesanya was crticized for holding a grudge against the teenager, however, he has now claimed he did the youngster a favor by mocking his father’s stoppage defeat.

“I was just like, ‘Where is he [Alessandro Pereira]?’” Israel Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “I’m going to find him. And I see his kid then his sister, I think, was holding them. She was holding them because they were crying. So I was just like, bang.”

‘“He’s only a kid.’” And I’m like, ‘And the f*ck what?’” Israel Adesanya explained. “If I had a son and he came to the cage after 287 and then start to do that next to Pereira, I’d be like, ‘What the f*ck are you doing? Come here. Apologize – apologize to that man.’”

Furthermore, Adesanya claims Pereira should have scolded and cautioned his son for his actions, claiming he had taught Alessandro a “life lesson” to boot at UFC 287.

“Guy knocked me out in his home country and then you see your kid doing that and you don’t have the discipline to scold him and then again before [UFC] 281, you’re in your car and you’re like, ‘Look what my son did.’” Israel Adesanya explained. “If you’re not going to teach your kids manners and respect, I will.”

“I did him a favor,” Israel Adesanya continued. “I did that kid a favor. Now, he has a life lesson that he can hold on to forever and just remember that. I’m glad I did it. F*ck them kids.” (Transcribed by MMA Mania)

Engaging in a back-and-forth on social media this week, Adesanya claimed that quality of his knockout win over the Brazilian should gazump any of his three prior losses against Pereira throughout their lenghty combat sports spat.

Israel Adesanya defends 1-3 fight record against UFC rival Alex Pereira: ‘It’s quality over quantity here’

UFC middleweight kingpin, Israel Adesanya has defended his 1-3 losing record against former division champion, Alex Pereira – claiming “it’s quality over quantity” off the back of his skid-snapping victory at UFC 287 last month. Chalking up his first professional victory across combat sports against Sao Paulo native, Pereira back in April in the main […]

Chalking up his first professional victory across combat sports against Sao Paulo native, Pereira back in April in the main event of UFC 287, Adesanya landed a stunning second round knockout win over the Brazilian in the pair’s championship rematch.

First matching the Pereira during their respective tenures under the GLORY Kickboxing banner back in 2016, Adesanya suffered a debated and controversial decision loss, before dropping a thunderous KO defeat of his own in a rematch the following year.

Headlining UFC 281 back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden, Adesanya had racked up an impressive lead on all three judge’s scorecards before suffering a standing TKO loss to Pereira in the fifth and final round.

Snapping his streak of losses against the former two-weight kickboxing champion in Miami, Florida last month, Israel Adesanya rallied himself in the second round, sending Pereira to the canvas with a brutal KO loss.

Israel Adesanya makes his case for bragging rights against rival, Alex Pereira

Responding to claims that “numbers don’t lie” in the aftermath of their UFC 287 clash from Pereira, Adesanya claimed that the quality of his knockout victory surpasses the quantity of the Brazilian’s triumphs against him.

“It’s quality over quantity over here,” Israel Adesanya tweeted in response to Alex Pereira. “3-1, you can keep that. Whatever helps you SLEEP at night…”

Expected to fight either former champion and past-foe, Robert Whittaker, or surging middleweight contender, Dricus du Plessis next, Adesanya has been earmarked to headline a Sydney, Australia return for the UFC later this year.

As for Pereira, the knockout kingpin is slated to make a light heavyweight move for his next Octagon outing – weighing up a series of fights against the likes of Magomed Ankalaev, former champion, Jan Blachowicz, as well as current undisputed gold holder, Jamahal Hill.

Luke Rockhold still eyes UFC return, title fight against Israel Adesanya: ‘I present a lot of problems for him’

Just a day before quitting in the second round at BKFC 41, Luke Rockhold was thinking optimistically. His spirits were high the day before the fight, and he appeared on Just Scrap Radio to talk about a potential UFC return against Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title. “I’m not opposed to it, on my terms, […]

Just a day before quitting in the second round at BKFC 41, Luke Rockhold was thinking optimistically. His spirits were high the day before the fight, and he appeared on Just Scrap Radio to talk about a potential UFC return against Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title.

“I’m not opposed to it, on my terms, for sure,” Rockhold began on the radio show. “I’ve always been intrigued by an Israel fight, I think he is awesome and an amazing fighter. I think I’m getting better and I can test him, my striking has gotten so much better over the years, and as long as I’m in shape and I get things, I think I present a lot of problems for Izzy.”

After the BKFC 41 fight against Mike Perry, the chances Rockhold comes back for a title fight against Israel Adesanya are astronomically low. However, at the time of the interview, Luke Rockhold most likely believed he was going to waltz into BKFC 41 and put a beat down on Perry.

The topic turned to Adesanya’s most recent fight against Alex Pereira, and Rockhold had a lot of praise for ‘The Last Stylebender. He was very much impressed with the way Adesanya handled their MMA rematch (the fourth fight overall between the pair) and was even more taken aback by the result.

BKFC 41 recap, and Luke Rockhold continues speaking on the Israel Adesanya fight

“I thought it was insane. The mental ability to go in there after three losses and stay composed and do his thing,” Rockhold continued (H/T BJ Penn.com). “He put everything into it and people say what they say but he took the shots, got compromised, and landed the blows. All the credit to Izzy, I have nothing but respect and I like watching the kid fight. He’s f*****g awesome, a true champion.”

Alas, things really didn’t go Rockhold’s way at BKFC 41. The bare-knuckle brawl was extremely rough on ‘The Samurai’ and he suffered extreme damage to his teeth. In fact, it’s been said Perry was knocking teeth out of his mouth and shattering them.

The pain must have been absolutely unbearable, and Rockhold did the only logical thing: he gave up. If Luke Rockhold continued fighting, Perry could have very well knocked all the teeth out of his mouth and caused other brutal injuries. The fight wasn’t a total one-sided domination, but it was pretty clear most of the time that ‘Platinum’ was in the lead and up on the judges’ scorecards.

The world isn’t sure what Rockhold will do now after that brutal beatdown he suffered, but a return to the UFC would most likely be an extremely fun sight to see for fans across the world.

Would you be interested in seeing a title fight between Israel Adesanya and Luke Rockhold?