Is Israel Adesanya Moving Up to Light Heavyweight to Rekindle Rivalry With Alex Pereira After UFC 293 Sean Strickland Fight?

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira are at an interesting point in their careers. Adesanya is in the process of cementing his legacy as being the greatest UFC middleweight champion ever, perhaps only second to Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva. He will take on #6 ranked Sean Strickland in a middleweight bout at UFC 293 this Sunday.

Pereira, on the other hand, has confirmed that he will be fighting for the vacant light heavyweight title in only his second fight at 205. He eked out a split decision victory in his first taste of the division against Jan Blachowicz, but had a prior understanding with the UFC that this would serve as a title eliminator. He will probably fight former champion, the Czech phenom, Jiri Prochazka. And if ‘Poatan’ manages to capture the 205 crown, this would give rise to a very lucrative possibility- Israel Adesanya fighting Pereira for a double championship.

Alex Pereira announces move to 205 lbs after losing to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287

In April this year, shortly after the then-middleweight champion lost to Israel Adesanya in their rematch at UFC 287, Pereira announced that he would move up to the light heavyweight division. He said that he had done his part in the middleweight division and felt “great” about the move, which he said felt like “something natural”. He also said he would be watching his Nigerian-Kiwi nemesis’ “behavior” and pointed out that the overall scorecard between them was still 3-1 in his favor.

“Many people questioned [my weight cut] but I always went there and fulfilled my obligation, but now is a great moment to move up a division,” Pereira said. “You see Adesanya’s post-fight provocations, he treats this win like it’s 3-1 for him and it’s not quite like that. I understand his joy — or try to understand it — it was his dream to win once against me and he’s done it, but let’s see what his behavior is now,” the former middleweight champion said.

Israel Adesanya’s attempt at 205 lbs title after UFC 293 Sean Strickland fight

Adesanya has beaten almost all contenders at middleweight, except South African and #1 ranked middleweight, Dricus Du Plessis. If he wins against Strickland, which most expect him to, his grudge match with the South African will certainly be next.

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After Du Plessis, however, the field is sparse. And if Pereira wins in his upcoming light heavyweight title bout, it would be a perfect set-up for a trilogy between the two. After a failed attempt to move up by ‘Stylebender’ in 2021, where he lost to Jan Blachowicz in his debut at 205, he could move up against Pereira and fight for the light heavyweight title.

A look into Israel Adesanya & Alex Pereira rivalry

Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya’s rivalry goes back to their kickboxing days. ‘Poatan’ defeated the Kiwi in both their kickboxing matches. Adesanya moved to the UFC in December 2017, while Pereira would not make the move until 2021.

In their first encounter, the Brazilian trounced his opponent in the fifth round at UFC 281 in a shock victory. Adesanya came back spectacularly in the rematch at UFC 287, though, and flawlessly executed a trap to knock Pereira in the second round. And with their UFC scorecard standing at 1-1 at the moment, their rivalry is far from over.

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