Alex Pereira on Israel Adesanya title shot – “I hope he wins because he has a beautiful story”
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has well wishes for former UFC middleweight champion, and familiar foe, Israel Adesanya.
“The Last Stylebender” Adesanya will challenge current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis for the belt at UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on August 17.
Pereira , who has fought Adesanya four times in combat sports – going 2-0 in kickboxing and 1-1 in MMA – said that he would like see Adesanya win the title again.
“They asked me about Adesanya and Du Plessis – I said I don’t see Adesanya losing,” Pereira said on his YouTube channel. “Just because he said that about me, doesn’t mean I’ll say it back. It’s what I think. I don’t think he loses this fight. I hope he wins because he has a beautiful story. I think he has to continue his story. He isn’t a young guy.”
The one win that Adesanya holds over Pereira was at the cost of the UFC middleweight title. Pereira had taken the belt from Adesanya, only to lose it in the rematch. Following the win, Adesanya would immediately lose the title again, this time to now former champion Sean Strickland, who then dropped the title to current champion Du Plessis.
“I’m here, supporting him,” Pereira said. “I already fought him, not going to say he should lose. I’m not mad at him. No grudges. Like I said, if one day it’s possible to train with him, exchanging knowledge. Behind the scenes we hear a lot of things about Adesanya. A lot of people talk about him like, ‘He’s this, he’s bad’ and what not.
“The people who truly know him that I had contact with, talk good about him. Has a good heart. A lot of the times it’s just marketing. I believe that. I can see he is a good person. So that’s why I’m here, cheering for him. If he doesn’t cheer for me, that’s not my problem. But I’m here, cheering for him.”
