As we await the main event of UFC 312, former middleweight champions and staunch rivals, Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya delivered a moment of pure sportsmanship. They were seated near each other at the Qudos Bank Arena and both of the fighters shared snapshots of them sitting together on their social media handles with a single caption that read, “Chama.”

The pair had squashed their beef after their UFC rematch at UFC 287 in April 2023. They had even started to root for the other in key title fights. And for a rivalry spanning across two sports and four total fights, they have both acknowledged the impact they’ve had on each other’s careers. “God blessed me with a great opponent like Alex Pereira. He blessed me with a great challenge like that. And it’s easy to say that now on this side, but fuck, it takes a lot to take on that man… I always knew that we would have history, and I always knew I could best him. I’m glad God blessed me with that challenge to be able to rise to the occasion,” was the last thing Adesanya said about Pereira on Ariel Helwani’s show a few weeks ago.

Also speaking to Helwani around the same time, ‘Poatan’ had said, “No, I don’t see myself cheering against Israel Adesanya. I wish him the best… Maybe without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t have got into the UFC with the good contract that I did due to the history we have.”

This is not the first time Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya have been seated beside each other or crossed paths. In 2023, Adesanya and Pereira shared a candid video of each other on their social media handles. Pereira’s video from an airport humorously captured Adesanya playfully avoiding the camera while traveling with fellow UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. Meanwhile, Adesanya’s video showed him walking forward, with his long-time rival a few steps behind him.

The rivalry between the middleweight legends is nothing less than a Hollywood story, Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya twice during their kickboxing days. However, Adesanya transitioned to MMA and carved his own path in the UFC. But one fateful day, after becoming champion, he called out Pereira in an interview, prompting the Brazilian to sign a contract with Dana White and the rest is history.

Well, a years have passed since their UFC fights and both fighters have nothing but respect for each other. In their recent statements, Pereira as well as Israel Adesanya have come forward to thank each other for their fights. Given that, their sitting together is the last crossover that the MMA fans expected and as it happened fans couldn’t keep their calm.

MMA fans erupt as Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya sit near each other

The last time the UFC head honcho, Dana White was responsible for the seating layouts, Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis engaged in an all-out brawl against each other. The UFC CEO seated Strickland and Du Plessis near each other at the UFC 296 PPV and the inevitable happened as Strickland threw hands at Du Plessis which forced the security to intervene and escort them out backstage. Looking at this a fan wrote, “Is Dana responsible for the seat layout ?”

Training with Alex Pereria might put Israel Adesanya back in the winning column because the former middleweight champion has been suffering from defeat after defeat. Or so one fan thinks, “Train a few months with Alex and let him help you for your next fight!” It must be noted that the former middleweight champion is riding a three-fight losing streak and badly requires a victory.

With a combined kickboxing record of 108-12-0 and MMA record of 36-5-0, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have fought enough to make everyone bow in front of them and a fan believes the same as well, “those 2 could take out that whole section #UFC312”

Furthermore, a social media user had nothing but respect for these fighters, “The combined accolades and wins in this one picture are insane! Two of the greatest athletes period.”

Moreover, another fan has come forward to ascertain that Adesanya and Pereira train together, “Gotta train together now it’s destined to happen.”

Israel Adesanya is not someone who holds grudges against anyone. The former champion has been spending time with his former rivals, including Robert Whittaker, Jon Jones, and now Alex Pereira. Observing this, a fan wrote,“Izzy entering a new anime arc.”

Making peace with everyone, it appears that the former champ wants to conclude his career without hard feelings for anyone. In the light of that, what are your thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s career? State your thoughts in the comments below.