Israel Adesanya believes his former rival, Alex Pereira can make UFC history. The former middleweight champion shared his bold prediction for how ‘Poatan’ may fare at heavyweight.
During the UFC 326 broadcast last Saturday, the promotion announced the official fight card for UFC Freedom 250. The historic event takes place at the White House on Jun. 14. It will feature Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship in the co-main event.
Pereira aims to do what no other UFC fighter has done before by winning a championship in a third division. The Brazilian has already won the middleweight and light heavyweight championships and now sets his sights on the heavyweight title. Adesanya said ‘Poatan’ is capable of doing so and also capable of finishing Gane.
Pereira has been known to cut a significant amount of weight to make 185 pounds. While he moved up to light heavyweight, he still had a sizable cut to reach 205 pounds. Now at heavyweight, ‘Poatan’ will not have to cut any weight at all, which could result more energy.
Israel Adesanya Backs Alex Pereira to Defeat Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250
Israel Adesanya is rooting for his former rival to make history at UFC Freedom 250. Alex Pereira is certainly capable of achieving three-division UFC champion status. However, he cannot overlook Gane.
Gane is a former interim heavyweight champion that came up short in his fights for the undisputed heavyweight title. He is coming off his controversial no contest with Tom Aspinall, a bout in which he won the 1st round.
Pereira, meanwhile, carries significant momentum after his impressive 1st TKO win over Magomed Ankalaev to regain the light heavyweight championship.
Adesanya reacted to the announcement regarding Pereira vs. Gane on his YouTube channel. The former middleweight champion said he wants to see Pereira win. However, he noted that Gane is a tough matchup.
“I hope Alex [Pereira] wins. That’s crazy,” Adesanya said. “[Ciryl] Gane is no joke. Gane can dance around him. [He’s] slick, could knock him out as well. But I think Alex can knock him out too.”
Adesanya and Pereira Agreed to Train Together in the Future
Adesanya and Pereira’s rivalry dates back to their time in Glory Kickboxing. They fought twice, with ‘Poatan’ winning both. They later met twice more in the UFC for the middleweight championship.
Pereira won the first fight by 5th round knockout, while Adesanya avenged the loss months later with a knockout victory of his own. Since then, both fighters have embraced and moved on from their rivalry.
Speaking to MMA Fighting last year, Adesanya revealed that he and Pereira will end training together when the time is right.
“Pereira and I will train together some day. Now is not the time, but I have all the respect for ‘Poatan,'” he said.
While sitting next to each other at a UFC event, ‘Poatan’ extended an invitation for Adesanya to train with him. He expressed interest in sharing knowledge with his former rival, who accepted.
“Let’s train together, let’s make this partnership happen. I feel that I have a lot to show you. You have a lot to show me,” Pereira said.
Israel Adesanya Backs Alex Pereira to Do Something No UFC Fighter Has Done