Israel Adesanya claimed the most significant victory of his career at UFC 287. He defeated his arch-rival, Alex Pereira, with an impressive knockout to become the first-ever two-time UFC middleweight champion. Despite their heated rivalry, ‘The Last Stylebender’ made an unusual confession about the Brazilian ace.

Israel Adesanya’s rivalry with Alex Pereira has been one of the most entertaining affairs in the UFC in recent memory. ‘Izzy’ was unstoppable after defending his middleweight title five times before suffering a devastating stoppage defeat at UFC 281. However, he took back his championship in his rematch with ‘Poatan’ in April.

Israel Adesanya recaps his rivalry with Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya is still relishing his win over ‘Poatan’ at UFC 287. However, fans never fail to remind him about the three times he’s already lost to Pereira, but it doesn’t faze Adesanya. He claims that it was never about the numbers. During his appearance on The MMA Hour, ‘The Last Stylebender’ said, “Look, I have already said this. If we fight another 10 times and he beats me all 10 times, I don’t care. It’s not about that.”

The two-time UFC Middleweight champion mentioned that the win was important for him to test himself and have confidence in his abilities. Moreover, he went on to recall what happened during their previous three fights. Adesanya added, “I just had to prove to myself that I can beat this guy because every time – I fought him first time, I won the fight. Judges got it wrong. Second time, I was beating him then he got me. Third time, again, MSG, I was beating him then he got me.” Having reportedly dominated most of his fights against Pereira, Adesanya claims to have missed out on grabbing the win by just a narrow margin.

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‘The Last Stylebender makes a surprising revelation about Alex Pereira

Adesanya has often been seen trolling his former rival on social media following his win in Miami. Despite their high-profile rivalry, the middleweight champion had some words of praise for ‘Poatan’. Adesanya claims that Alex Pereira has a great spirit as a fighter. He said, “We know we can beat this guy, but he just has that spirit. He’s a great fighter. Honestly, he’s a cool guy.”

‘The Last Stylebender’ also claims to have taken a liking to Pereira’s story and the fact that his UFC 281 win was celebrated by the people in Brazil. “I like his story. Even in Brazil, when he knocked me out that was a cool story for him. But I just knew I can beat this guy,” said Adesanya.

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Israel Adesanya has nothing but respect for his fellow Middleweight which he showcased backstage after defeating Alex Pereira in April. He understands how good the Brazilian is despite the beef they had inside the octagon. What do you make of Adesanya’s comments about Pereira? In addition, do you want Pereira to run it back with ‘Izzy’ in a UFC trilogy or Move up to Light Heavyweight? Share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments below.

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