Alex Pereira's rivalry with Israel Adesanya should not end with UFC 287, Henry Cejudo insists
Henry Cejudo wants to see another Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira bout and recently encouraged the Brazilian to get his rematch against the Nigerian-born Kiwi.
After losing three times to Pereira across kickboxing and MMA, Adesanya finally defeated his personal 'boogeyman' in their fourth meeting at UFC 287 last weekend. 'The Last Stylebender' brutally knocked 'Poatan' out cold in round two of their contest to reclaim the middleweight title.
After their fight, Israel Adesanya marked his victory by shooting imaginary arrows at the Brazilian as he stood over him. The new middleweight champion then mocked Pereira's son by emulating the celebration the young boy directed at him after his kickboxing KO loss to 'Poatan' in 2017.
Israel Adesanya mocks Alex Pereira's son after KO'ing him 💀😭 https://t.co/Mi6rdn556N
While many believe that the UFC should move on from this rivalry, Henry Cejudo disagrees. 'Triple C' recently urged Alex Pereira to demand a rematch and reminded the Brazilian of Adesanya mocking his son.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Henry Cejudo stated:
"I just wanted to let you [Pereira] know as a brother, you need to fight for a rematch. You cannot let this rivalry settle like this... He cannot be demanding that with this victory... Especially with the fact that he pointed at your son and did what he did. You cannot let things settle this way... As a father, I want you to return and do what needs to be done."
.@AlexPereiraUFC you have unfinished business with Israel Adesanya before you move to light heavyweight.
The rivalry is 1-1 in MMA (and 3-1 in combat sports), the chapter ain't closed until you run it back. @danawhite give this man his rematch!
FULL 📽️: youtu.be/3UpGIhUBlxw https://t.co/gITvHm8WOM
Watch the full video below:
UFC 287: Israel Adesanya doesn't want a third straight fight against Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya arguably scored the most important victory of his career last weekend when he knocked out Alex Pereira in the second round of their fourth combat sports meeting.
With many fans wondering if the two longtime rivals will run it back for a trilogy fight in MMA, the Nigerian-born Kiwi recently stated that he has no interest in facing Pereira again soon.
In a UFC 287 post-fight interview with McKenzie Pavacich, the new middleweight champion stated:
"It's done now. We've closed it... I'm done with this s**t. I don't want to fight the same guy three times in a row because I probably have less than 20 fights in this game. I'm 33... so I just want to fight new faces and take new heads. That's what I want to do in this game."
Watch the full interview below:
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira showed each other mutual respect after their fight and appeared to bring their bitter rivalry to a close. Meanwhile, 'Poatan' is highly expected to make a move up to the light heavyweight division and continue his MMA career there.