Late bloomers have had a rich legacy in the UFC. Current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira also happens to be one of those fighters who debuted late in the promotion at the age of 34. However, unlike others, ‘Poatan’ has become more dangerous and active in the promotion ever since he graced the Octagon in 2021. This is evident in his back-to-back appearances at UFC 300 and UFC 303, where Pereira brutally knocked out his opponents and defended his title each time. This success has prompted critics to dub Alex Pereira the new face of the UFC as she looks to cement his legacy further at UFC 307.

This moniker was solidified when the Brazilian native stepped in on short notice to save Dana White’s struggling UFC 303 event after the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight fell through due to McGregor’s pinky toe injury. Pereira’s “fight as much as possible” mindset has not only benefited the UFC but also himself, a point recently emphasized by his frenemy Israel Adesanya on the latest episode of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’

Israel Adesanya unravels the strategy behind Alex Pereira’s early rise

Israel Adesanya has been out of the public eye since August after his disappointing loss of the middleweight title against Dricus du Plessis at UFC Perth. Since then, Adesanya has remained in the dark until his appearance on the JRE MMA Show #164. At the opening of the podcast, Adesanya began decoding Alex Pereira’s strategy for staying in the fans’ minds.

“When you get in the UFC,” Izzy continued, “this is what I did as well, and he did it the right way. Fight as much as possible, fight as much as possible so you can be in people’s faces. They can say, ‘That guy just fought, that guy just fought, oh, I just saw him fight last month.’ You fight as much as you can, and you get that momentum behind you. Then you become champion; you’re that guy, and that momentum constantly builds.”

Adesanya further discussed Alex Pereira’s immense fan following, which periodically surfaces on social media, where his fans can be seen chanting “CHAMA CHAMA” whenever he appears in public. He remarked, “You’re in people’s faces, you’re getting posted everywhere, and that’s how you build your stock. He’s done that, and he’s doing it the right way as well.”

These appreciative words from Adesanya towards ‘Poatan’ are quite surprising, as the two buried their long-standing rivalry years ago. However, Adesanya has not missed an opportunity to take digs at Alex Pereira from time to time. Yet, after losing his title to Dricus du Plessis, Adesanya’s words seem softer towards the Brazilian native, possibly due to a point that Chael Sonnen noted a few weeks ago.

Does Alex Pereira want to avenge his “little brother” Israel Adesanya’s defeat?

Back in August, UFC dual champion Alex Pereira turned upside down the predictions of MMA pundits after witnessing his enemy-turned-friend Israel Adesanya’s defeat to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 304 on the other side of the globe in Australia. Without wasting a moment, Pereira took to Instagram to announce his intention: “I’m going down to 84 kgs again.” This announcement left every fight fan puzzled about the reason behind the Brazilian native’s return to middleweight, especially when he himself was the former champion.

Out of the blue, Chael Sonnen dismissed other factors and solely relied on his self-made theory, claiming, “It didn’t have a lot to do with Du Plessis. It was the final nail in his battle, or the most recent nail in his battle against Adesanya. He wanted to come in as the big brother to protect his little brother, which Izzy doesn’t want, by the way. I’m just saying there was a condescending message that was supposed to be picked up, and nobody picked it up. They missed it.”

What are your thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s claims about Alex Pereira? Do you believe that the main reason behind ‘Poatan’s’ meteoric rise in Dana White‘s promotion is what Adesanya suggested, or is there another factor at play? Drop your opinion below.