Dana White could deny Israel Adesanya the title rematch with Alex Pereira if "he doesn't like dealing with Izzy", says Ben Askren
Ben Askren has claimed that Israel Adesanya will get his rematch against Alex Pereira only if Dana White is comfortable dealing with the former middleweight champion.
In an interview with The Schmo, Askren was asked about his thoughts on 'The Last Stylebender' getting his immediate rematch:
"I think you gotta give it to 'Izzy' but this is where Dana gets really tricky. If he doesn't like dealing with 'Izzy', he'll give someone else the shot cause then someone else can have the belt and you can put that on them. If he likes 'Izzy,' 'Izzy's' going to get the shot."
The former UFC welterweight contender added that he thinks Adesanya should get the rematch, saying:
"It's deserved. He'd been the champ for a while. He was up three rounds to one. He should get the shot."
Watch Ben Askren's full interview with The Schmo below:
Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 TKO in the fifth round. 'Poatan' has defeated Adesanya twice previously in the sport of kickboxing.
While both middleweights have expressed their intent to face each other again, the Brazilian's first title defense could come against some other names that have put themselves forth. Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker have both expressed their desire to fight Pereira.
Khamzat Chimaev targets Alex Pereira title fight in Brazil, then Colby Covington mmafighting.com/2022/11/18/234… https://t.co/IjFCte1NtS
Alex Pereira posts scathing reply to Israel Adesanya's claims of an early stoppage
Alex Pereira took to social media stating that Israel Adesanya should be grateful that the referee stepped in when he did, addressing claims of an early stoppage.
At UFC 281, Israel Adesanya looked like he was on his way to another successful title defense against an old rival, Alex Pereira. While it looked like 'The Last Stylebender' was on his way to a comfortable decision win, Pereira found a way to catch his opponent clean against the cage and flurried a barrage of shots at the wobbled Adesanya. After deciding he had seen enough, the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
Although the referee deemed the Nigerian-born Kiwi to not be intelligently defending himself, controversy still surrounds the outcome of the fight. However, in a post on Instagram, 'Poatan' responded to the early stoppage controversy:
"Adesanya stop making excuses saying that the referee stopped the fight early… you have to thank him for saving your life. The way you were with your head down looking at the ground, I only needed one or two more hits to connect a good knee to your face so we wouldn’t know the outcome."
The caption continued:
"As I said in the video at that point, you are a great opponent and I respect you for that. Assume the mistakes along with your team without taking away my merits. You will have one more chance! You’re next!"
Check out the Instagram post below: