Dana White explains what Israel Adesanya needs to do if he wants to rematch Alex Pereira for UFC light heavyweight title
Dana White has stated that Israel Adesanya must win a fight at light heavyweight in order to challenge Alex Pereira for the title.
'Poatan' etched his name in history at UFC 295 last weekend when he faced off against former champ Jiri Prochazka for the vacant 205 lbs belt. After a back-and-forth first round, the Brazilian demonstrated his stunning striking in the second when he caught 'BJP' with a hook that dropped him to his knees, before then releasing a flurry of elbows that appeared to knock the Czech fighter unconscious.
The referee waved the bout off before Pereira could follow up with ground and pound, and whilst there may have been a shout for an early stoppage, Prochazka had since stated that the referee was right to call the fight over when he did.
In regards to his next opponent, Pereira pointed towards a trilogy bout against Israel Adesanya in his octagon interview. The Brazilian explained that he wanted to offer Adesanya the same chance he gave him in the middleweight division.
Following the stunning UFC 295 card, Dana White was then asked by press if the trilogy could be on the cards. White then explained that it likely only happens if 'Izzy' returns to fighitng soon and picks up a victory in the division first. He said:
"Alex moved up a weight class. I don't see Izzy moving up a weight class...If he wanted to move up and fight Pereira again, we'd probably do it. Probably give him a fight at that weight first. If he wins, then give him a shot at Pereira."
Israel Adesanya reacts live to Alex Pereira's call-out at UFC 295
Israel Adesanya doesn't appear overly keen to re-ignite his rivalry with Alex Pereira, following the Brazilian's call-out during his UFC 295 octagon interview.
Pereira and Adesanya share a long history, having faced each other on multiple occasions in both kickboxing and MMA. As it stands, their record is 3-1 in the head-to-head (1-1 in MMA), with Adesanya picking up his only victory against 'Poatan' last year at UFC 287.
'The Last Stylebender' was live on his YouTube channel for the pay-per-view, where he reacted to the Brazilian's call-out. 'Izzy' burst out laughing during the interview and took a shot at Pereira by referring to his UFC 287 KO win. He said:
"I mean it's all good. What is it like, come to daddy? Last time I checked, you were f*****g slept."
Catch Adesanya's reaction here: