Israel Adesanya announced he is taking a break from MMA, but his rival Alex Pereira doesn’t believe it and thinks he will be back sooner than expected, while also considering a potential move to boxing in 2027.
Israel Adesanya recently announced that he will be taking a break from competition for a few years, with a projected return in 2027. However, his longtime rival, Alex Pereira, expressed skepticism about Adesanya staying away for that long. Pereira believes that Adesanya will soon find motivation to return to the sport and thinks that a lengthy hiatus would not be good for the former champion.
Pereira, who recently moved up to 205 pounds and is scheduled to challenge Jiri Prochazka for the vacant UFC light heavyweight belt, also commented on Adesanya’s potential rematch with Sean Strickland. He mentioned that Adesanya would need to make adjustments to his game in order to deal with Strickland’s style, should they face off in the future.
In response to Adesanya’s enigmatic social media post about the possibility of a boxing fight in 2027, Pereira expressed his interest in entering the boxing ring, citing the success of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in a boxing match against Tyson Fury as inspiration. He sees the possibility of transitioning to boxing as a fighter who already possesses the necessary skills and experience.
The UFC had previously announced that Sean Strickland would defend his middleweight title against the winner of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman, but Dana White later revealed that Strickland’s first title defense will be against Dricus Du Plessis. If Adesanya eventually returns and faces Strickland in a rematch, Pereira believes that Adesanya would need to make significant changes to his game in order to perform better against Strickland.