Israel Adesanya reacts to comical Yusuf Dikec and Alex Pereira meme
Israel Adesanya is preparing for his 11th straight world title fight at UFC 305 but that has not refrained him from keeping up with the 2024 Paris Olympics on social media. 12 days out from his clash with Dricus Du Plessis, Adesanya reacted to a viral fan-made meme comparing him to rival Alex Pereira.
The fan used a side-by-side graphic including viral Turkish Olympic pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec and Korean rifle shooter Daehan Choe. The fan labeled Dikec as "Pereira" and Choe as "Adesanya."
Adesanya reacted to the post by quote-tweeting:
"[Laughing emoji] you know what..."
Dikec went viral during the 2024 Paris Olympics for his nonchalant approach to his events, wearing just pants, a t-shirt, and his prescription eyeglasses without any protective equipment. Contrarily, Choe gained mainstream attention for his unique shooting stance.
The 51-year-old Dikec helped Turkey win the silver medal in the 10m air pistol team event while Choe fell short in his Olympics effort.
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira's history
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have engaged in one of the most iconic rivalries in combat sports going back to 2016. Though their story began in kickboxing, it ventured into MMA and is still ongoing in 2024.
In two kickboxing fights against each other, Pereira would win both. 'Poatan' took the first matchup by controversial decision but decisively ended the rematch by handing Adesanya the first knockout loss of his career.
After their battles in GLORY Kickboxing, the two met again in the UFC. Pereira would win the first fight by fifth-round TKO but Adesanya emphatically got his revenge in the second cage fight with a second-round knockout.
Entering UFC 305, Pereira is the active UFC light heavyweight champion, setting the table for a potential fifth fight between the old rivals should Adesanya reclaim the middleweight belt.