Israel Adesanya has nothing, however respect for longtime rival Alex Pereira. Pereira’s followers, however, not a lot.
Or as ‘The Final Stylebender’ likes to name them — “Poatards.”
Adesanya’s iconic rivalry with the reigning UFC mild heavyweight world champion began all the way in which again in 2016 underneath the GLORY Kickboxing banner. There, Pereira scored back-to-back wins over Adesanya — one, a questionable unanimous resolution and the opposite, a fully brutal third-round KO.
They picked up proper the place they left off contained in the Octagon, with ‘Poatan’ ending Adesanya within the fifth spherical of their UFC 281 headliner to say the 185-pound crown.
Trying again on their legendary scraps throughout a current look on Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel, Adesanya couldn’t assist however vent his frustration over “informal” MMA followers who proceed to disregard the success he had in opposition to Pereira regardless of holding a 1-3 document in opposition to the Brazilian.
“Folks, they’re so f*cking silly,” Adesanya stated. “On this first struggle in China, I believed I gained. These casuals don’t. These plebs don’t. I believed I gained. Even he thought he gained till he obtained his hand raised. The second time, I’m beating his ass and he will get me. Once more in New York [at UFC 281], I’m beating him. Rocked him. Took him down, beat him, and he will get me.”
Adesanya lastly broke by way of 5 months faraway from his third-straight loss to Pereira, retaking his middleweight title at UFC 287.
“I simply knew that I can beat this man,” Adesanya added. “It wasn’t about proving it to anybody else. I can beat this man, in order that final Miami one, I used to be in a distinct place. I needed to faucet into some darkness for that camp. Individuals who knew me, I used to be completely different. Ain’t no means this motherf*cker is about to beat me 4 instances. It’s concerning the story. So now I’ve beat him as soon as. How ironic. I beat him as soon as, however watch this. If I struggle him once more and knock him out, what are they going to say? ‘It’s 3-2. Now it’s finest out of seven.’
“I’m 34. I’ve solely obtained a certain quantity of fights left. Why am I gonna struggle the identical man nonetheless many instances? I simply wish to show it to myself.”
Israel Adesanya is grateful for the time he spent competing in opposition to Alex Pereira
Content material to go away their sequence the place it stands, Alex Pereira made the transfer to mild heavyweight, incomes a split-decision victory over former 205-pound champ Jan Blachowicz. That win set the stage for his world title conflict with Jiri Prochazka. In November, the 2 warriors stepped underneath the principle occasion highlight at UFC 295 contained in the world’s most well-known enviornment, Madison Sq. Backyard.
There, ‘Poatan’ delivered one other highlight-reel-worthy knockout, ending Prochazka within the second spherical to say his second world title in a yr.
“He’s a particular fighter,” Adesanya stated of Pereira. “He’s a particular human being. What he’s performed on this recreation — in combating and what he’s performed for his life as effectively, I’ll at all times respect him. I’m grateful for these moments as a result of, for me, it taught me a lot about myself and the place I can go.”
Pereira is contemporary off his first profitable protection of the sunshine heavyweight belt, dispatching Jamahal Hill within the opening spherical of their UFC 300 headliner on April 13.
