Israel Adesanya is rooting for his greatest rival to do something that’s never been done before.
On Sunday, Alex Pereira attempts to be the first person to win titles in three UFC divisions when he fights Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC White House. As a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, “Poatan” will make history just by stepping into the cage on Sunday, becoming the first person to ever fight for a belt in three weight classes in the UFC, but if he succeeds, it will be a wholly unprecedented accomplishment. And his longtime kickboxing and MMA rival, Israel Adesanya, can’t wait.
“This is what the division needed,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Jones is in or out; we don’t know. Aspinall is still recovering from his last fight with Gane. So now, we needed something fresh. And a guy like Alex, who came into the UFC, smoked dudes to fight me, and then beat me, and then from there becoming the light heavyweight champion, and now, never been done before, never been even attempted, this is rare air.
“This is a level where you have to just appreciate what this guy’s done. From kickboxing, from his background, his ties to his roots, whether you love him or hate him, you have to really appreciate the magnitude of where this guy’s taking it now.”
Pereira and Adesanya are intrinsically linked, thanks to their long rivalry across kickboxing and MMA. Poatan defeated “The Last Stylebender” twice in Glory, and after Adesanya won the UFC middleweight title and started racking up defenses, he, too, transitioned to the UFC.
Shortly after that, Pereira challenged Adesanya for the middleweight title, finishing him in the fifth round to move to 3-0 in the rivalry. However, Adesanya brutally knocked out Pereira in their rematch, sending Poatan up to 205 pounds, where he won another title and continued on his budding Hall of Fame career.
Some time after that, Adesanya and Pereira squashed their rivalry, and now, as his former foe attempts to make history, Adesanya is completely behind him.
“Even if he was fighting Godzilla, I want to see Alex do it,” Adesanya said. “I honestly think it’s going to be good for the sport. It’s going to be great for him to achieve something that’s never even been attempted. It’s like seeing the first person climb Everest, a four-minute mile. F*ck, I just want to see him do it.
“People can think whatever they want, but I know there’s people who don’t understand what it’s like to root for someone you’ve competed against. It’s not about me. This is bigger than me. This is history. This is, like, to see someone achieve this, and you played a part in helping them get there. It’s f*cking cool, man.”
And, for what it’s worth, Adesanya believes that will happen. As Pereira has continued to move through MMA as few others have before him, Adesanya thinks that journey will continue.
“So, official pick, I’m going Chama by Chama,” Adesanya said. “… I really believe he’s going to get it done. It’s just destiny. This is bigger than anything.”
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Khamzat Chimaev wants the smoke with Dillon Danis.
This weekend, Chimaev and Danis wrestle this Saturday at RAF 10 this Saturday, and ahead of their match, the two ran into each other.
It was a weird situation, where both men tried to punk the other, and Chimaev called for a street fight. Check out the interaction below.
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