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Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya are two of the biggest names in the UFC, whose careers have been intertwined since 2016. The duo fought twice in kickboxing, with 'Poatan' winning on both occasions. Adesanya went on to enjoy great success in MMA, prompting Pereira to follow suit.
As fate would have it, Adesanya's passing comment in an interview that Pereira would spend his life drunk in a bar spurred the Brazilian into pivoting towards MMA. He would ally with former UFC champion Glover Texeira, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Pereira debuted in the UFC in 2021. In just one year, he advanced up the rankings and took on Adesanya for the middleweight title, winning via fifth-round TKO. However, in their rematch, 'The Last Stylebender' exacted his revenge.
With Pereira then moving up to light heavyweight and remaining undefeated at 205 pounds, there's a growing debate as to who has enjoyed a more successful career. Here are three reasons why his legacy is more impressive than Adesanya's.
#3. Alex Pereira has beaten both Sean Strickland and Jan Blachowicz
Israel Adesanya has enjoyed a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Apart from Anderson Silva, no other fighter has enjoyed such success at middleweight. The New Zealand resident had a long reign atop the 185-pound division. Notably, across his MMA career, he's only lost to four fighters: Jan Blachowicz (UFC 259), Alex Pereira (UFC 281), Sean Strickland (UFC 293), and Dricus du Plessis (UFC 305).
Besides Adesanya's most recent loss to du Plessis, Pereira has beaten every other fighter the Nigerian-born Kiwi has lost to. The Brazilian viciously KO'd Strickland in UFC 276. Blachowicz also lost to Pereira in the latter's light heavyweight debut at UFC 291.
'MMA Math', a term often used to compare how two fighters would fare against each other based on their common opponent, doesn't always work. However, the fact that 'Poatan' overcame the hurdles that 'The Last Stylebender' couldn't says something about where the two stand regarding legacy in the promotion.
If Pereira beats du Plessis at some point down the line, be it at middleweight or light heavyweight, it would further add weight to the knockout artist's résumé in comparison to his former foe's record.
#2. Alex Pereira is a two-division world champion
There was a time in Israel Adesanya's career when pundits touted him as a potential three-weight title contender (middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight). He even challenged for the light heavyweight title against Jan Blachowicz but fell short and subsequently dropped back down to middleweight.
On the other hand, Pereira went on to win the 205-pound belt following his brief reign at middleweight. He defeated Jiri Prochazka for the vacant title at UFC 295, entering elite company by becoming a two-division champion. The Brazilian has already achieved what only eight other fighters have done in the UFC (win titles in two different weight classes).
Most importantly, he's done what his adversary was never able to. Looking at their respective career trajectories, there's still more to be written in the 'Poatan' story. He could potentially go back to middleweight and challenge Dricus du Plessis. He might even go up in weight and fight for the heavyweight title.
'The Last Stylebender', however, has two consecutive losses in title fights. Moreover, he has been open about having just a few years left in the sport. The fact that Pereira can retire today and be one of only nine fighters in history to be a double champion puts him on a higher pedestal than his Kiwi counterpart.
#1. Alex Pereira was compromised fighting at middleweight
When Alex Pereira moved to the light heavyweight division, it became clear that this was his natural weight class. The Brazilian looks healthier while weighing in at 205 pounds and doesn't look massively depleted. Most importantly, he does not look undersized against some of the biggest fighters in the division.
This is precisely what makes the Brazilian's run at middleweight even more impressive. Fighting at 185 pounds can be an advantage when you can rehydrate to 220+ pounds on fight night, but there are some severe consequences as well. The fighter is often too depleted from the weight cut, and that affects his ability to take a hit.
The fact that the Brazilian fought Adesanya in this depleted condition for the title and still beat him in the first bout was impressive. This did come back to hurt Pereira in the rematch when he was viciously KO'd by a punch that he might have been able to take if the weight cut didn't deplete him.
That said, the Pereira vs. Adesanya rivalry stands at 3-1 in the Brazilian's favor if we include the kickboxing fights. How a fight between the two would play out at 205 pounds is an intriguing question, but 'Poatan's' chin is undoubtedly more resilient at the higher weight class.
