Alex Pereira is closing in on a shot at history, but the UFC star is keeping a measured tone when it comes to Israel Adesanya’s recent struggles.
Pereira is scheduled to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House this Sunday, as he aims to become the UFC’s first three-division titleholder. The bout comes on the heels of Pereira’s 80-second win over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 this past October.
Asked about Adesanya’s current run — four straight losses and five defeats in his past six, with four stoppages — Pereira declined to criticize his former rival. “Who am I to say, brother?” he said. “Like the guy had a brilliant career, you know what I mean? That can happen to anybody. I just signed [for] eight fights, that can happen to me tomorrow.”
“Who says that I’m gonna win eight fights in a row? I can start losing. [These are] things that can happen, you know what I mean?” Pereira added, before reiterating his respect: “The guy’s had great moments,” and, “He’s had a great career, a great success, and he has my respect.”
Pereira and Adesanya split two UFC meetings over a five-month span. Pereira stopped Adesanya in the fifth round at UFC 281 in November 2022 to claim the 185-pound title, before Adesanya knocked him out to reclaim the belt at UFC 287. Their relationship has since shifted from heated rivalry to more of a kinship, with Pereira openly acknowledging Adesanya’s accomplishments in the UFC and combat sports.
