Middleweight fighter Alex Pereira, who suffered a knockout loss to champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, thinks he is still a better mixed martial artist.
The Brazilian declared that he will move up to the UFC’s light heavyweight class after his knockout loss to Nigerian kick-boxer Adesanya.
Despite Adesanya winning at UFC 287, Pereira recently shared a post on Instagram arguing that he is still the superior fighter in the Middleweight category.
In the caption of his post, Pereira referred to his three wins over Adesanya who recently beat the Brazilian fighter for the first time in four successive bouts.
“We’re the best but I’m still the best. But the number speaks 3×1,” Pereira wrote.
The Timeline of the Rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira
Adesanya, a kickboxer with Nigerian ancestry who had a spectacular 11-match winning streak, took on Alex Pereira for the first bout on April 2, 2016, at Glory of Heroes 1 in Shenzhen, China. Pereira won the bout by a unanimous decision.
On March 4, 2017, Adesanya was given another chance to atone for his defeat at Glory of Heroes 7 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. But in the third round, Pereira defeated Adesanya with a left hook.
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira’s long-standing rivalry was rekindled in a professional mixed martial arts match at UFC 281 on November 12, 2022, in New York. Unfortunately, the Nigerian-born fighter lost to the Brazilian again.
On April 8, 2023, Adesanya succeeded in extracting retribution on Pereira at UFC 287. With a stunning knockout victory in the second round, the Nigerian fighter closed out a remarkable chapter in his professional career and reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship title.
