After Conor McGregor pulled out, Alex Pereira stepped in to save UFC 303 and successfully defended his title for the second time. Immediately following the fight, Pereira expressed interest in moving up to the UFC heavyweight division. However, both the UFC and its CEO, Dana White, seem uninterested in following this plan anytime soon. Instead, there are indications of a potential trilogy fight between Pereira and Israel Adesanya, possibly at middleweight, which could be officially announced after UFC 305.

As the UFC title fight between current champion Dricus du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya looms, the fate of a potential trilogy between Adesanya and Alex Pereira hangs in the balance. MMA news reporter Rueben Carter tweeted, “The UFC is expected to wait until the result of Dricus Du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya at #UFC305 before they book a fight for Alex Pereira.” However, this contradicts Pereira’s previous stance. After winning the light heavyweight title in November 2023 against Jiri Prochazka, Pereira called out Adesanya for a trilogy fight but was ignored. Pereira subsequently stated he was moving on from the trilogy.

The rivalry between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya dates back to their GLORY kickboxing days, where Pereira defeated Adesanya twice. Their rivalry continued in the UFC octagon with two more fights with one win for each fighter. A highly anticipated trilogy was expected to determine the ultimate victory, but it has been put on hold since Israel Adesanya has been absent from the Octagon since UFC 293 due to a self-imposed hiatus following his title loss to Sean Strickland.

This breaking news about a potential trilogy fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira has captured fans’ attention, generating mixed reactions. Many fans are expressing doubt about the fight happening in the light heavyweight division.

Fans react to the rumored Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira trilogy

Alex Pereira started his UFC career in the middleweight division, where he became champion by defeating Isreal Adesanya in 2022. Later, Pereira moved up to the light heavyweight division, where he proved even more lethal, defeating contenders like Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka. Subsequently, he expressed interest in challenging for the heavyweight title.

Given this timeline, a fan expressed doubt about the Pereira vs. Adesanya trilogy, commenting, “I don’t see Alex moving down and if Izzy moves up, he gets annihilated.” This fan emphasized Pereira’s increased lethality in higher weight classes. Another fan echoed this sentiment, adding, “The thing is that narrative is hilarious because no way Izzy fights Poatan at 205 + if Izzy wins they will immediately do Izzy vs Sean 2, and even Izzy himself will call out Sean.”

However, some fans expressed disinterest in a third Israel Adesanya- Alex Pereira match, with one predicting a swift knockout victory for Pereira at light heavyweight: “No one wants Alex vs Izzy 3. At light heavy we all know Alex KOs him quickly.” Conversely, other fans favored Adesanya to win and offered predictions for the light heavyweight division. One fan commented, “I would love it if Adesanya moved up after winning and they made Strickland and Khamzat interim.” Another shared this sentiment, stating, “Light heavyweight bout after Izzy wins, winner take all.”

The trilogy only makes sense if Adesanya emerges victorious. It’s unlikely the UFC would grant him a third title shot in a different weight class after consecutive losses. Complicating matters further is the fact that neither fighter seems inclined to compete in the other’s weight division, a stance echoed by many fans. But the risk might be worth the reward for the one who moves up or down since he would be getting a shot at being a simultaneous two-division champion.