Alex Pereira, the UFC light heavyweight champion, has expressed his willingness to train with his long-time rival Israel Adesanya, but only under the condition that they will never fight each other again.
Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya have a history. They’ve traded blows in the UFC before. But what if they sparred in a gym instead? Pereira’s not opposed to the idea, but there’s a catch.
These two have been rivals for quite some time. Their rivalry spans both kickboxing and MMA. Pereira’s got two kickboxing victories over Adesanya under his belt. He even followed Adesanya to the UFC and nabbed his middleweight title.
Adesanya got his revenge in 2023. He reclaimed his belt from Pereira, only to lose it to Sean Strickland later. Now, Pereira’s the one holding the UFC’s 205-pound title.
Pereira won the UFC light heavyweight title in November. He knocked out Jiri Prochazka to do it. He offered Adesanya a shot at the 205-pound belt, but Adesanya wasn’t interested. Pereira’s next fight is against former UFC champ Jamahal Hill. It’s the main event of UFC 300 on April 13.
But here’s the twist. Pereira, also known as “Poatan,” wouldn’t mind training with Adesanya in the future.
“Anything can happen,” Pereira said on The MMA Hour. “Maybe he and the organization have the interest [to book that fight again]. I’m here. But I think it’s over. I don’t know. I’d even train with him if I had the opportunity. He’s very experienced, he’s done what he’s done, and I’m also very experienced and have been doing many things. It’s two styles that have similar things, but many things different that could add a lot to our games.”
There’s one condition though. Pereira would only train with Adesanya if they’re sure they won’t fight again. Pereira has trained with Strickland after knocking him out. He’s even had former rival Yousri Belgaroui in his camp and corner multiple times. But with Adesanya, it’s different. “If I think something could happen again, I obviously wouldn’t do that.”
The UFC champ believes a rivalry is necessary when you’re both in the ring. But once you’re not competing for the same goal, “it has to stop.”
“I really wanted to [fight him again], but I honestly think it’s over now,” Pereira said. “I don’t know. I think it’s over. I’ve tried [to call him out]. It was my belt on the line. I came to the UFC and did three fights to get to the belt and it was a huge risk for me, it was hard.”
Pereira really wanted a third match with Adesanya. He even suggested Adesanya move up to light heavyweight. But Adesanya showed no interest. “So I kind of let it go.”