Israel Adesanya not interested in third straight fight against Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya was finally able to overcome Alex Pereira with a vicious second-round knockout at UFC 287. 'The Last Stylebender' followed the knockout with a memorable celebration that will likely be replayed for years to come.
Adesanya has now revealed that he is done with the rivalry. Speaking with the UFC's McKenzie Pavacich, the middleweight champion stated:
"It's done now. We've closed it. It's done. 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. I can probably go on for as long as I want to, but less than 20 fights I think I have in this game if I'm being honest so I just want to fight new faces and take new heads. That's what I want to do in this game."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on the rivalry below (starting at the 1:25 mark):
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira showed mutual respect following the bout, seemingly closing the chapter on a rivalry that has spanned seven years across two combat sports. There has been speculation that 'Poatan' could move up to the light heavyweight division following the first knockout loss of his mixed martial arts career.
Israel Adesanya shares how he believes overcoming Alex Pereira defines his legacy
After three losses in two sports, Israel Adesanya defeated Alex Pereira in emphatic fashion at UFC 287. Following his second-round knockout, the middleweight champion discussed what the victory meant for his legacy.
Speaking with the UFC's McKenzie Pavacich, 'The Last Stylebender' stated:
"It just shows, like I said right after the fight, the human spirit. The power of the human mind and the fighting spirit. Like I said at the press conference, I wanted to show my fighting spirit and I meant that in every sense of the word and I felt like I did just that tonight. Believe in yourself. No matter how many times you get knocked down, always get back up. Always get back up and fight for what you want."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on his legacy below (starting at the 1:58 mark):
Adesanya lost to his rival via a controversial decision when they first clashed in kickboxing in 2016. Pereira left no doubt in their meeting the following year, however, landing a vicious knockout.
At UFC 281, despite being down on all three judges' scorecards entering the final round, 'Poatan' was able to land a flurry of punches to pick up the TKO victory. 'The Last Stylebender' was able to showcase his mental toughness as he was able to knock out his opponent at UFC 287.