Trash talk from a rival? Expected. Getting knocked out? Part of the game. But getting clowned by a five-year-old? That’s next-level disrespect. In 2017, Alex Pereira didn’t just knock Israel Adesanya out, he left him needing oxygen before he could even process the loss. But the real kicker? Pereira’s son, Alessandro, stormed into the ring, whacking himself with a water bottle, and flopping to the canvas like a tiny, ruthless showman.

Fast forward seven years to UFC 287, and Adesanya finally got his revenge, knocking Pereira out cold, firing three invisible arrows into his lifeless body, then turning to Pereira’s 13-year-old son at the time and theatrically collapsing in mock devastation.

Petty? Maybe. But revenge is best served cold. And now? The two men who spent years knocking each other unconscious are talking about training together. Yes, seriously. The conversation kicked off when Shakiel Mahjouri of Shak MMA asked Pereira if training with Adesanya was on the table. Pereira’s response? “No, not yet. He [Izzy] just fought when we saw each other, so he was a little bit hurt and it wasn’t the right time. And now I’m fighting, so it’ll happen down the line.”

Wait, did the light heavyweight kingpin just suggest a training camp with the guy he’s been trading knockouts with? Yep. And the wildest part? Adesanya seems all for it. At UFC 312, the two weren’t just sitting cage side, they were breaking down fights, swapping wisdom, and even reminiscing about past trips to Brazil like old war buddies. Pereira wasn’t just making conversation either. “Let’s get together,” he said through his translator. “Let’s make this partnership happen. I have a lot to show you, and you have a lot to show me.” The former foe? No hesitation. “Yeah, man. I’d love to.”

Instead of icy silence, it was two elite fighters casually discussing strategy. Pereira even threw ‘The Last Stylebender’ a compliment about his approach against Nassourdine Imavov. “I saw that you put in more volume than normal, attacked more than normal. Was that the strategy or just because of the fight?”

Adesanya broke it down. “Strategy. It was working well. But when the eye poke happened, I reset, so I came too close. I would never switch that close because if I switch that close, that’s what happens, and he knew what to do.” Talk about a full-circle moment. From championship fights to analyzing fight strategy, these two have evolved from bitter adversaries to, dare we say, comrades? But isn’t it impossible to talk about ‘Poatan’ and Adesanya without revisiting ‘that’ infamous comment.

Remember how Israel Adesanya’s trash talk backfired spectacularly?

Once upon a time, Israel Adesanya dismissed Alex Pereira as nothing more than a washed-up kickboxer who’d be just a guy in a bar bragging about his past wins. Back then, Izzy was riding high as the UFC middleweight champ, and Pereira? He wasn’t even in the promotion.

Well, fast forward a few years, and that “guy in a bar” didn’t just walk into the UFC. He bulldozed his way through it. Pereira knocked Izzy out (again) to snatch his middleweight title, then leveled up to 205 lbs, where he steamrolled his way to the light heavyweight throne. The irony? Adesanya’s own words probably fueled Pereira’s rise. And to his credit, ‘The Last Stylebender’ sees the poetic justice. When asked if he regretted his comment, he shrugged, “I don’t regret it because I was right… I’m glad I did because it motivated him. Look what we’ve created. I created a monster.”

But here’s where things get even weirder. Both men have made peace with former rivals before. Pereira is now buddies with Sean Strickland. Yes, the same Sean Strickland he once knocked unconscious. Adesanya, on the other hand, has been training with Robert Whittaker, the man he dethroned twice. But training with Pereira? That’s a whole new level of unexpected.

Ariel Helwani pressed Pereira on the idea, comparing it to Adesanya’s work with Whittaker. Pereira’s response? “Yeah man, we are old rivals. I think training a camp with him will be something really good. And something sincere. Because sometimes somebody can watch from the outside and say, ‘Okay, look, you can do this better.’ And if Izzy has the same approach of being honest with each other, it could be very beneficial.”

And honestly, he’s got a point. No one understands your strengths and weaknesses better than someone who’s spent hours trying to take your head off. Adesanya and Pereira know each other’s games inside out, so who better to sharpen each other’s skills than the very men who’s pushed them to their respective limits? Bitter enemies-turned-training partners, who saw this coming? What do you think? Let us know in the comments!