Israel Adesanya Eager for UFC Clash with Kickboxing Nemesis Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira’s flying knee knockout victory over Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268 drew the attention of fans and media alike.

With a pair of victories against reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya under kickboxing rules — including the lone knockout defeat of Adesanya’s combat sports career — “Poatan” has been asked in numerous interviews how a third meeting between the two would look under the UFC banner. The former Glory two-division champion’s Octagon debut only served to create more interest in a future clash between the two former foes. Meanwhile, Adesanya discussed Pereira’s victory on his YouTube channel.

According to “Stylebender,” those losses are in the past, and he added that he hopes to see the Brazilian in the Octagon.

“We need something new. Especially after you lap the division again. … Good job Pereira, that was nice. One thing I notice is everyone always holds on to that win he has over me like it’s the be all end all. I hope he does well,” Adesanya said. “I hope he does well through the ranks. In the next four fights, I hope to see him.

“They’ll show you the knockout [in our previous fight], but they won’t show you what happened before the finish. I hurt him, but I only throw [hands] because I was infiltrated by other people’s thoughts. But that was when I was younger. Not anymore. It’s different now. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

The first time that Adesanya and ‘Poatan’ faced each other was in 2016, when the Brazilian overcame the Nigerian via tunanimous decision. One year later, the São Paulo native did not let the dispute be decided on the scorecards, as he used a left hook to score a spectacular knockout against his rival.