Israel Adesanya recently reflected on his rivalry with Alex Pereira, saying it was never personal. The former UFC middleweight champion explained that his focus was always on his himself, not his opponent. He said overcoming his losses helped confirm his belief that he could defeat the Brazilian.
Adesanya and Pereira’s rivalry began during their kickboxing careers. The two faced each other twice in Glory Kickboxing, where ‘Poatan’ won once by decision and once by knockout.
After Adesanya transitioned to MMA and found success in the UFC, Pereira followed a similar path. He was fast-tracked to a middleweight title shot, where the rivalry resumed inside the octagon. At UFC 281, Pereira defeated Adesanya by 5th round TKO to win the middleweight championship.
The loss motivated Adesanya even more and led to a rematch at UFC 287. In that fight, ‘Stylebender’ earned a spectacular 2nd round knockout to reclaim the middleweight title. The victory allowed Adesanya to avenge his previous losses and regain confidence against his rival.
“For me, it was never really about [Pereira], it was about me,” Adesanya said during a Q & A with Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA. “I knew technically I was the only one to hurt this man multiple times, I knew I could always touch him.”
He added that outside opinions didn’t change his mindset after the loss at UFC 281.
“It’s not about other people, it was about me because after he beat me at [UFC 281], people were like, ‘Oh, he’ll never fight him again,’ Adesanya said. “But, I was like, ‘Dana, run that [expletive] back, I need that.’ I always knew I could do it.”
Alex Pereira Won Second UFC Championship After Loss to Israel Adesanya
Despite the loss, Alex Pereira continued to find success. He made a permanent move to the light heavyweight division and became a two-time champion at 205 pounds.
Pereira quickly established himself in the division. He defeated former champion Jan Blachowicz to earn a title opportunity against Jiri Prochazka. ‘Poatan’ then knocked out Prochazka to capture the vacant light heavyweight championship.
Pereira followed that win by successfully defended his title three times in a six-month span. Two of those fights came on short notice and he won by 1st round knockout and 2nd round TKO, respectively.
‘Poatan’s title reign ended at UFC 313, where he lost a unanimous decision to Magomed Ankalaev. He received a rematch and won by 1st round knockout at UFC 320 to regain the title.
Adesanya Proud of Pereira’s Success
Israel Adesanya also expressed admiration for Pereira’s accomplishments since their last fight. Although ‘Poatan’ became a two-division UFC champion, Adesanya said he remains proud of his former rival.
Adesanya came up short in his own light heavyweight title attempt, losing a unanimous decision to Jan Blachowicz. Even so, he praised Pereira’s career.
“I’m so proud of what he’s doing now, two-time light heavyweight champ, he’s back on top, about to fight Jon Jones at the White House. I hope he never loses, I hope he retires undefeated.”
Pereira could earn an opportunity to face Jon Jones at the UFC’s upcoming White House event. He could also become UFC’s first three-division champion if he moves to heavyweight.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Israel Adesanya Reveals Truth Behind Rivalry With Alex Pereira appeared first on Heavy Sports.