It was inevitable for Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya to run into each other after both were spotted in Melbourne, Australia.
Pereira visited the Melbourne Storm rugby team this past week. His rival, UFC middleweight champion Adesanya, spent time training with the New Zealand Warriors. Both men were in attendance for the boxing match between Joseph Parker and Faiga Opelu this past Wednesday, in which Parker stopped Opelu in the first round in Australia.
The pair didn’t cross paths until the airport, and they each shared their experiences from their own lenses on video.
Guess who I met at the airport ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/c2xr4MAVUs
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) May 29, 2023
💘💘💘❤️🔥
My life is a video game 🎮 pic.twitter.com/MoIdUniTJv— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) May 29, 2023
Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) have fought four times: twice in kickboxing and twice in the UFC. Pereira entered the UFC having already beaten Adesanya twice in kickboxing, then dethroned him with a comeback knockout to claim the 185-pound title at UFC 281.
But Adesanya finally was able to exact his revenge when the pair rematched at UFC 287. In that fight, Adesanya got his hand raised by knockout.
Their rivalry has taken a momentary pause. Pereira will make his light heavyweight debut in his next fight. He meets former champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 on July 29 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
