Jon Anik believes Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 3 can be the next UFC middleweight title fight
It appears that the UFC 287 Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya bout did not put an end to their bitter rivalry. While Adesanya had the last laugh in their multi-sport rivalry, Pereira has the upper hand with two wins in kickboxing and one in MMA at UFC 281.
According to Adesanya, the devastating knockout victory at UFC 287 was sufficient to settle the rivalry once and for all. 'Poatan' has been advised by many, including UFC president Dana White, to make the move to the light heavyweight division following the loss.
Meanwhile, Pereira has been constantly reminding Adesanya about his three triumphs over 'The Last Stylebender', presumably making the case for the trilogy fight. The MMA community also seems eager for a third fight, given that the previous two bouts were highly entertaining and that both combatants bring out the best in each other.
Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya debate quality vs. quantity: Should they run it one more time? 👀 https://t.co/Q0Ywbtc1n5
With all that in mind, UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik believes Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 3 can be the next UFC middleweight title fight. Speaking in a recent interview with The Schmo, Anik stated:
"A third meeting in MMA between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya... I wouldn't be surprised to see that as the next fight for Izzy depending on what happens at UFC 290 [between Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis]."
Anik added:
"Alex Pereira has finally mastered the weight cut down to 185-pounds. Now to go up to 205-pounds doesn't seem to make sense even though maybe there were some underlying promotional pressure to do so."
Catch Jon Anik's comments below (7:00):
Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya: What does 'Poatan' think about the UFC middleweight champion's potential next challenger Dricus du Plessis?
Israel Adesanya finally got the better of long-time rival Alex Pereira with a stunning knockout at UFC 287 to regain his middleweight title.
After the fight, 'The Last Stylebender' refrained from issuing any public challenges but did say he wanted to face a "certain" middleweight in South Africa. Since Adesanya has defeated all five of the middleweight division's ranked fighters, no new contenders have emerged to challenge him.
The UFC has scheduled a fight between Dricus du Plessis and Robert Whittaker for UFC 290 to seemingly determine the next challenger. Alex Pereira recently discussed the contest and the implications of a win for Du Plessis on his YouTube channel. 'Poatan' claimed that it was "impossible" for the South African to win against Israel Adesanya:
"[Du Plessis] is a fighter who at the end of the first round was very tired. So how will a guy like that fight [for] five rounds against [Whittaker]. If he wins, it would be Adesanya [next]. I think [it's] impossible... Let's talk about it Du Plessis wins [against Whittaker]. I think it will be a massacre. Adesanya knows it. He wants to make history. He wants to make an easy fight."
Check out the video below: