The intense and bitter rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira has captivated MMA fans for years. The two have faced each other four times, with each fight being more intense than the last. The most recent bout saw Adesanya secure his first victory over Pereira, but their animosity toward each other is far from over.
Despite initial silence about a trilogy fight, recent events have reignited the possibility of a third fight between the two. UFC legend Michael Bisping believes it’s a fight that fans simply cannot miss.
Michael Bisping about a trilogy fight between Israel Pereira and Alex Adesanya
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After their UFC 287 fight, neither fighter mentioned a potential trilogy fight. However, as time passed, fans started seeing the possibility of a third fight. Adesanya has been very vocal about his victory, which has reignited the ‘Poatan’s desire for a rematch. In a recent video, UFC legend Michael Bisping talked about the trilogy, explaining what Pereira needs to do to get another title shot.
“All Pereira has to do is continue making noise. Izzy is a proud man. I don’t think Izzy’s ducking anyone. There’s unsettled business. There’s unfinished business. These two have to have a third fight inside the UFC.”
Bisping believes that their unfinished business will ultimately lead to a third fight and that the pay-per-view numbers for such a bout would be through the roof. However, ‘The Count’ also warned that if Adesanya doesn’t agree to a third fight, the narrative of him ducking Pereira will persist.
“If Izzy doesn’t do that, if he doesn’t give him that third fight, there will always kind of be a narrative that he’s ducking him.”
Revisiting the past 4 fights between Pereira and Adesanya
Adesanya and Pereira first faced each other in 2016 at Glory of Heroes 1 in China. It was a close fight, but Pereira managed to win it via a unanimous decision. A year later, both the fighters stepped in the ring again, at Glory of Heroes 7 in Pereira’s home country Brazil. This time, Pereira won the fight via a KO.
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The two fighters then met at UFC 281, after Poatan had made his way into the UFC and earned a title shot against the Stylebender. He defeated Adesanya for the third consecutive time, this time via a 5th-round knockout.
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Watch This Story – Who Will Israel Adesanya Fight After UFC 287?
After three losses, Adesanya was finally able to get revenge at UFC 287. He was able to knock Pereira out in the second round to win back his UFC title. With both fighters having at least one win over the other, how do you think their MMA trilogy pans out? Let us know in the comments below.