“I Got What I Wanted” – Israel Adesanya Comes Clean on Putting Alex Pereira Rivalry Aside to Train Together

Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya’s rivalry is arguably the most intense in UFC history. While Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s feud is often hailed as the biggest in UFC lore, it pales in comparison to the fierce and twin battles between the duo inside the Octagon. Moreover, their bad blood dates back to their kickboxing days and has evolved into one of the most thrilling storylines in MMA.

However, after the Brazilian moved up to 205lbs following his equalizer defeat to Adesanya in 2023, their relationship saw a drastic change. Now, both men seemingly cannot get tired of expressing respect and wishing each other well. This led to interviewer Damon Martin asking a question many are wondering about in a recent interview with ‘Izzy’. “Would you ever see a world where you could actually see yourself working with a guy like Alex [Pereira] down the road?” Martin asked.

To which Adesanya answered in the affirmative, pointing out that their rivalry was all but over at this point. “Yeah, definitely, down the road me and Alex, I’ve already said like I got what I wanted from that fight. I think the MMA world just gets greedy and they’re trying to ruin a good thing because they want more, never knowing went to quit. That’s why he shouldn’t gamble, but yeah, eventually, it will,” the Yoruba said, before clarifying that he doesn’t see him and Pereira training together anytime soon.

“But right now, you know, it’s not that time. He lives so far away, the opportunity hasn’t arisen… So yeah, I always respect ‘Poatan’, he’s a guy that, we already understood this, and we’ve already shared this with each other. So yeah, it’ll happen one day. But who knows when,” Adesanya added. This is totally understandable since ‘Izzy’ has bigger fish to fry at the moment.

Why Israel Adesanya’s next fight may determine the course of his career?

It almost seems something is wrong with the world when Israel Adesanya isn’t a champion. The Kiwi-Nigerian had dominated the middleweight division for half a decade before he shocking lost his title to Sean Strickland. After which the Yoruba fought reigning champ Dricus Du Plessis. However, Izzy got submitted by the South African as he was finding his groove.

Once the undisputed king of his division, Adesanya has lost two in a row. Just goes to show how hard and unforgiving the sport is. And this is precisely why ‘Izzy’s upcoming fight is so important. The former champ is set to face #5 ranked Nassourdine Imavov atop UFC Saudi Arabia on February 1.

If he wins, the Kiwi-Nigerian will be right back in the title shot. But if he loses, he will slide down in the division as a gatekeeper. The type of fighting style Adesanya has, based upon extraordinary reflexes, remarkable speed, and world-class athleticism does tend to age poorly.

And Adesanya, who is 35 at the moment, may find it very hard to dominate as he once did. This has happened to even some of the most legendary fighters in history like Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo. What do you think about Adesanya’s thoughts on working with Alex Pereira?