Israel Adesanya received a positive message leading into this weekend’s return to the octagon against Joe Pyfer from a past rival, former two-division champion Alex Pereira.
Pereira and Adesanya first met in a kickboxing ring long before they made it to the UFC. The pair fought in 2016 and 2017, with Pereira taking home the victories on both occasions. Fast forward to 2022, Pereira defeated Adesanya by knockout in the fifth round of their UFC 281 main event contest. But in 2023, ‘The Last Stylebender’ cracked the code by earning a knockout of his own against Pereira and regained the middleweight title.
Now with Pereira scheduled for his heavyweight debut at the White House this summer, and Adesanya competing at middleweight this Saturday in Seattle, the pair are far from rivals. This was made evident by a recent message ‘Poatan’ posted to Instagram, attached to a video of how their last bout ended.
Saturday is fight night once again. Much respect to Israel Adesanya — we’ve shared the octagon and moments that became part of my journey. That loss taught me a lot; it pushed me to evolve not only as a fighter, but as a man. I grew, matured, and used it as fuel to reach a higher level in the sport and in life.
Regardless of rivalry, I know what it means to step in there — the years of work, the pressure, the sacrifice. That’s why I wish you a great fight. Go in focused and show your best.
We keep evolving. See you at the top CHAMA 🔥
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