Heading into UFC 287, Alex Pereira was considered Israel Adesanya’s boogeyman. Afterward, they were hugging and talking about visiting each other just for fun.
That’s how the rivalry played out Saturday night at Kaseya Center where Adesanya avenged his three previous defeats to Pereira with an emphatic second-round knockout to reclaim the UFC middleweight championship that Pereira took from him last November.
Between kickboxing and MMA, Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) have faced each other four times. And it’s clear that, regardless of what might be said publicly, the two men share a mutual respect for each other, which was on display in a video capturing their post-fight conversation in the bowels of the arena (via the UFC’s Twitter):
The full post-fight conversation between @Stylebender and @AlexPereiraUFC. Respect. #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/fl8yWWQYyO
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
While Pereira is up 3-1 overall on Adesanya, they’re split 1-1 in the UFC, with each man finishing the other. While a trilogy to settle the score seemingly would make sense, it appears unlikely to happen anytime soon.
During the UFC 287 post-event news conference, Adesanya said he considers the score settled, and UFC president Dana White revealed a possible move to light heavyweight for Pereira.
If this moment signals the end of their rivalry, it’s a nice way for it to finish.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
