Israel Adesanya has weighed in on Alex Pereira’s unsuccessful bid for a third UFC title after Ciryl Gane stopped the two-division champion at UFC Freedom 250.
Pereira faced Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event on Sunday at the White House in Washington DC, with Gane winning by second-round finish.
Reacting to the result, Adesanya acknowledged both Gane’s performance and the risk Pereira took in moving up again. “Ciryl is no slouch, but f*ck,” Adesanya said, before adding, “Dare to be great. He (Pereira) is a one of one. He's great. You can't fault him. That jab, I said it was educated. It's f*cking accurate. Shoutout to Ciryl, he did it.”
Adesanya also highlighted the historic nature of Pereira’s attempt. “Alex Pereira, he dared to be great,” he said. “He went for it at a new weight, something that's never been attempted before, never even been fathomed, and he did it. So, congrats to him, but especially congrats to Gane because he's the one that shut it down, let him know what heavyweight is about. But still, it's just good to see people attempt or achieve great things.”
Pereira entered UFC Freedom 250 as a former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion, trying to become the first fighter in company history to win titles in three different divisions. Adesanya and Pereira are former opponents.
