Israel Adesanya has asserted that he’ll compete in as many fights against Alex Pereira as needed to defeat him.
Pereira bested Adesanya via unanimous decision in their first kickboxing bout at Glory of Heroes 1 in 2016. Their rematch, once again a kickboxing bout, saw Pereira beat Adesanya via third-round KO at Glory of Heroes 7 in 2017.
Furthermore, their recent MMA bout witnessed Adesanya put his UFC middleweight title on the line against ‘Poatan’ at UFC 281 on November 12, 2022. Adesanya almost knocked Pereira out in round one.
Later, ‘Izzy’ was seemingly headed to a win on the judges’ scorecards going into the fifth and final round. However, the 35-year-old Pereira turned the tables by defeating the 33-year-old Adesanya via TKO to capture the UFC middleweight title.
Israel Adesanya subsequently appeared on Andrew Schulz’s podcast, Flagrant, with Akaash Singh and was asked whether he intends to fight Pereira again.
Izzy’ responded by recalling that before their MMA bout, ‘Poatan’ had claimed that he (Adesanya) wouldn’t want an immediate rematch after UFC 281.
Israel Adesanya on how perineal nerve damage led to his loss against Alex Pereira at UFC 281
Considering former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s incredible accomplishments and star power, he could receive an immediate rematch against Alex Pereira.
However, the Nigerian-born New Zealander has hinted that he’ll have to recover from a leg injury before a potential rematch against the Brazilian.
During the UFC 281 post-fight press conference, Israel Adesanya harked back to round five of their fight when he fell to the ground and rolled after getting a leg kick checked by Pereira.
‘Izzy’ was stopped by Pereira’s punches soon after the sequence and lost via TKO. He emphasized that Pereira’s calf kicks damaged his perineal nerve and contributed to his loss
