Alex Pereira, despite past rivalries with Israel Adesanya, is openly supporting Adesanya’s bid to reclaim the UFC middleweight title against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305, expressing admiration for his story and potential future in the sport.
Israel Adesanya is on a mission to reclaim the UFC middleweight title. He’ll face Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305. Interestingly, his longtime rival, Alex Pereira, is rooting for him.
Pereira has faced Adesanya four times across two sports. On his YouTube channel, he expressed no hard feelings towards Adesanya. Unlike Adesanya, who predicted Pereira’s losses against Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, “Poatan” hopes Adesanya wins on Aug. 17.
“[People] asked me about Adesanya and du Plessis,” Pereira said. “I don’t see Adesanya losing.” Despite their past rivalry, Pereira believes in Adesanya’s victory. He added, “I hope he wins because he has a beautiful story.”
Adesanya defeated Pereira in April 2023 but lost his title to Sean Strickland five months later. After taking a year off, he’s now set to fight du Plessis, who dethroned Strickland.
“He isn’t that young anymore,” Pereira commented about Adesanya. He mentioned that Adesanya had considered retirement but feels there’s more for him to achieve in the sport. “If he’s still there, he still has a dream,” Pereira said.
After their MMA rematch at UFC 287 in 2023, where “The Last Stylebender” finally beat Pereira, they embraced backstage. Pereira even hinted at the possibility of training together once their competitive paths diverge.
Pereira reiterated this on his YouTube channel: “If one day it’s possible to train with him and exchange knowledge…” He acknowledged that while many criticize Adesanya behind the scenes, those who know him speak highly of his character.
“I can see he’s a good person,” said Pereira. Despite any animosity from others or even from Adesanya himself, Pereira remains supportive: “But I’m here, cheering for him.”