Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya congratulated his longtime rival for winning a second UFC title, but also found humor in Alex Pereira bringing up his name during his post-fight interview.
At UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York, Pereira became champion of the light heavyweight division by stopping Jiri Prochazka with vicious punches and elbows in the second round. Pereira, who has now won UFC titles in the 185-pound and 205-pound divisions, used a portion of his in-cage post-fight interview to send a message to his rival Adesanya.
Pereira recalled an old interview from Adesanya in which the former middleweight champ stated that Pereira would be drinking in a bar somewhere, living off the memory of his kickboxing victories, while he was still actively having success in combat sports. “Poatan” credited Adesanya’s words for motivating him to become a better fighter, and ultimately a UFC champion. He encouraged Adesanya to not “waste his talent” by taking extended time away from the sport.
