Despite the longtime rivalry, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira hopes that Israel Adesanya will regain the middleweight title when he faces Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 in August.
While Adesanya and Pereira met in the Octagon twice, the competitiveness between the two began during their time in the kickboxing ring. In the end, Adesnaya earned his middleweight title back, avenged his losses, but then fell short versus Sean Strickland before taking some time away from the sport.
Now, it is clear that the rivalry between the pair is completely over, as Pereira says he will be cheering for Adesanya to achieve championship status once again.
Alex Pereira shows love to Israel Adesanya đ¤
âI hope [Adesanya] wins because he has a beautiful story⌠Iâm here, Iâm supporting him. I already fought him, not going to say he should lose.
Iâm not mad at him, no grudges. Like I said, if one day itâs possible to train with him,⌠pic.twitter.com/vhP9s8GZk9
â Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 12, 2024
âThey asked me about Adesanya and Du Plessis â I said I donât see Adesanya losing,â Pereira said on his YouTube channel. âJust because he said that about me, doesnât mean Iâll say it back. Itâs what I think. I donât think he loses this fight. I hope he wins because he has a beautiful story. I think he has to continue his story. He isnât a young guy.â
âIâm here, supporting him,â Pereira said. âI already fought him, not going to say he should lose. Iâm not mad at him. No grudges. Like I said, if one day itâs possible to train with him, exchanging knowledge. Behind the scenes we hear a lot of things about Adesanya. A lot of people talk about him like, âHeâs this, heâs badâ and what not.
âThe people who truly know him that I had contact with, talk good about him. Has a good heart. A lot of the times itâs just marketing. I believe that. I can see he is a good person. So thatâs why Iâm here, cheering for him. If he doesnât cheer for me, thatâs not my problem. But Iâm here, cheering for him.â