The Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya relationship has come a long way.
The two would battle twice in the cage as Middleweights, splitting the contests with one knockout win each. With some weight and time now between them, the two have developed a considerable respect for another. In a recent Q&A with Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, Adesanya reflected on their rivalry and expressed his pride at seeing Pereira’s post-rivalry success.
“For me it was never really about him,” Israel Adesanya said of Alex Pereira (h/t Red Corner MMA). “It was always about me. I knew technically I’m the only one to hurt this man multiple times. I knew I could always touch him.”
“I’m so proud of what he’s doing now, two-time light heavyweight champ now, he’s back on top about to fight [Jon Jones] at the White House. I hope he never loses. I hope he retires undefeated. But, it’s not about other people, it was about me. After he beat me at Madison Square Garden, people were like, ‘oh, he’ll never want to fight him again.‘ But I was like, yo Dana, run that s—t back. I need that. I always knew I could do it.”
Either way, expect Adesanya to be cheering for him when “Poatan” is back in action.
