Israel Adesanya appeared to be done with his rivalry with Alex Pereira after finally defeating him to reclaim the middleweight title earlier this year, but now he’s left the door open for another clash between them, but only under one circumstance.
After being knocked out by Adesanya, Pereira stated his intention to move up to 205lbs, and so ‘The last Stylebender’ has now claimed that if his former nemesis goes on to win the light-heavyweight title then he’ll fight him again.
“If he wins the belt at 205 I’ll do it again,” Adesanya told Ariel Helwani on ‘The MMA Hour’. “But if not – I think he’s done with it. I’m done with it. I think everyone else wants to see it, but we’ve moved on.
“If I were to bet money on it, no (I don’t think it happens). 205, I’ve been there, it’s hard. If he wins the 205 belt, though, they might give him a fast track like they did with me, and then they’re going to have a magic, crazy, f*cking epic fight at 205 with me and him. That will be us for the fifth time.”
Pereira will begin his 205lb campaign against former champion Yan Blachowicz at UFC 291 in July, and a win there could put him in pole position to compete for the title currently held by Jamahal Hill.
As it happens, Adesanya previously moved up to 205lbs in an attempt to win the 205lb belt against Blachowicz himself back in 2021, but lost by unanimous decision.
Back at 185lbs, Adesanya is now awaiting his next challenger for the belt, with a fight between Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290 in July currently seen as a title eliminator.
