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Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya have shared one of the greatest rivalries in modern combat sports, dating back to their respective kickboxing careers. Their mixed martial arts rivalry is, arguably, the greatest the UFC has seen in recent years, with both fighters defeating each other once in the octagon.
While fans have clamored for a trilogy bout, both fighters have reiterated that the rivalry is likely a thing of the past. The two-time middleweight champion recently claimed his story with 'Poatan' is over while speaking on his YouTube channel, FREESTYLEBENDER:
"I'm going to go Alex Pereira, by second round finish. And, look, if Khalil does it, it would f**king shock the world, but also it would be like, well, someone else has done it and they can f**king get off my d**k. So, it's like, well, go deal with that now. Go have that story to, you know what I'm saying? My story with him is over so I don't know. People always, just the 'Poa**rds' still, 'it's still 3-1, d**n it'."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on Alex Pereira below (13:35):
Pereira handed Adesanya his first-ever mixed martial arts loss at 185 pounds when he dethroned him via fifth-round TKO to capture the middleweight title at UFC 281 in November 2022. 'The Last Stylebender' reclaimed his title emphatically six months later as he defeated 'Poatan' via second-round knockout, winning 2023 Knockout of the Year honors for the bout. It remains the light heavyweight champion's only loss since joining the UFC in November 2021.
Israel Adesanya shares he wants Alex Pereira to never lose again
While Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have spent much of their combat sports careers as rivals, the two have also frequently expressed mutual respect. Now that the rivalry appears to be behind them, 'The Last Stylebender' revealed he does not want 'Poatan' to ever lose again.
The two-time middleweight champion invoked his infamous comments when discussing his rival on his YouTube channel, FREESTYLEBENDER, stating:
"Regardless, I just think 'Poatan's' on a f**king tear right now. He's just too good. Bro, I hope he retires undefeated. Not undefeated, but, you know, the rest of his career. The rest of his career. F**k, it'll just be like, 'I beat that ni**a one time'."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on Alex Pereira below:
Adesanya and Pereira both appeared to move on from the rivalry when the latter moved to light heavyweight following their most recent clash. 'Poatan' even expressed an interest in training with 'The Last Stylebender' under the condition he knew they would never fight again. With the door seemingly closed on that possibility, it remains to be seen if they will train with one another.
