Israel Adesanya has nothing, however respect for longtime rival Alex Pereira. Pereira’s followers, then again, not a lot.
Or as ‘The Final Stylebender’ likes to name them — “Poatards.”
Adesanya’s iconic rivalry with the reigning UFC gentle heavyweight world champion began all the best way again in 2016 beneath the GLORY Kickboxing banner. There, Pereira scored back-to-back wins over Adesanya — one, a questionable unanimous choice and the opposite, an absolutely brutal third-round KO.
They picked up proper the place they left off contained in the Octagon, with ‘Poatan’ finishing Adesanya in the fifth round of their UFC 281 headliner to say the 185-pound crown.
Trying again on their legendary scraps throughout a latest look on Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel, Adesanya couldn’t assist however vent his frustration over “informal” MMA followers who proceed to disregard the success he had in opposition to Pereira regardless of holding a 1-3 file in opposition to the Brazilian.
“Folks, they’re so f*cking silly,” Adesanya mentioned. “On this first struggle in China, I believed I gained. These casuals don’t. These plebs don’t. I believed I gained. Even he thought he gained till he obtained his hand raised. The second time, I’m beating his ass and he will get me. Once more in New York [at UFC 281], I’m beating him. Rocked him. Took him down, beat him, and he will get me.”
Adesanya lastly broke via 5 months faraway from his third-straight loss to Pereira, retaking his middleweight title at UFC 287.
“I simply knew that I can beat this man,” Adesanya added. “It wasn’t about proving it to anybody else. I can beat this man, in order that final Miami one, I used to be in a distinct place. I needed to faucet into some darkness for that camp. Individuals who knew me, I used to be totally different. Ain’t no method this motherf*cker is about to beat me 4 occasions. It’s concerning the story. So now I’ve beat him as soon as. How ironic. I beat him as soon as, however watch this. If I struggle him once more and knock him out, what are they going to say? ‘It’s 3-2. Now it’s finest out of seven.’
“I’m 34. I’ve solely obtained a specific amount of fights left. Why am I gonna struggle the identical man nevertheless many occasions? I simply wish to show it to myself.”
Israel Adesanya is grateful for the time he spent competing in opposition to Alex Pereira
Content material to depart their collection the place it stands, Alex Pereira made the transfer to gentle heavyweight, incomes a split-decision victory over former 205-pound champ Jan Blachowicz. That win set the stage for his world title conflict with Jiri Prochazka. In November, the 2 warriors stepped beneath the primary occasion highlight at UFC 295 contained in the world’s most well-known area, Madison Sq. Backyard.
There, ‘Poatan’ delivered another highlight-reel-worthy knockout, ending Prochazka within the second spherical to say his second world title in a yr.
“He’s a particular fighter,” Adesanya mentioned of Pereira. “He’s a particular human being. What he’s carried out on this recreation — in preventing and what he’s carried out for his life as properly, I’ll at all times respect him. I’m grateful for these moments as a result of, for me, it taught me a lot about myself and the place I can go.”
Pereira is fresh off his first successful defense of the light heavyweight belt, dispatching Jamahal Hill within the opening spherical of their UFC 300 headliner on April 13.
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