Israel Adesanya names the one condition that'll make him fight Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya was able to defeat Alex Pereira in a thrilling fashion at UFC 287 to avenge his previous losses and reclaim the middleweight title. While some fans were hoping for a trilogy bout between the long-time rivals, Pereira has since made the move to light heavyweight. 'The Last Stylebender' recently revealed the only condition that will make him share the cage with 'Poatan' once again.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the middleweight champion was asked if he believes the pair will fight again, responding:
"If he wins the 205 belt, maybe... If I'm going to bet money on it, no, because 205, I've been there, it's hard. It's not an easy task, but if he wins the 205 belt though, and they might give him a fast track like they did with me, then they're going to have a magic, crazy f**king epic fight at 205 with me and him, and that will be us for the fifth time. Isn't that wild?"
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on facing Alex Pereira below:
Israel Adesanya on if he thinks he'll fight Alex Pereira again.
#TheMMAHour https://t.co/LhoRV5HPK9
Adesanya and Pereira faced off two times in kickboxing. 'Poatan' won the first meeting in a closely-contested decision victory before picking up a late knockout in the second bout. He would then claim the middleweight title with a fifth-round TKO in their first mixed martial arts meeting at UFC 281.
Despite seemingly being ahead in all three fights, 'The Last Stylebender' was unable to figure out his long-time rival until UFC 287 when he landed a second-round knockout.
Israel Adesanya discusses celebration after beating Alex Pereira at UFC 287
Israel Adesanya had one of the most memorable celebrations in UFC history after defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287. Speaking with Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the middleweight champion discussed the aftermath of his stunning victory, stating:
"I took his whole s**t. Now, bow and arrow is synonymous with me... It's no beef. I wasn't, for the last six years, like 'f**k, I'm going to get this kid', but I just knew I'm going to get him because when it happened I said, 'if my son did that to someone I just knocked out, I'd be like what the f**k are you doing? Apologize to that man... It's not too personal, but at the same time it's just business."
Check out Israel Adesanya's full comments on his UFC 287 celebration below:
Now bow and arrow is synonymous with me.
Adesanya also asked when he knew Pereira's son was in the arena.
#TheMMAHour https://t.co/dvAyD7CemV
The middleweight champion noted that Pereira joking about his son's taunts in the UFC embedded series added to his desire to return the taunt. Meanwhile, Adesanya's next opponent has yet to be announced.