Pereira Wants A Rematch With Adesanya At Middleweight

Alex Pereira has not ruled out a rematch with Israel Adesanya at some point by going so far as to target a bout at middleweight. 

The pair’s UFC rivalry stands at 1-1 following Adesanya’s spectacular second-round knockout.

Prior to that, Pereira had gotten the better of him with a fifth-round stoppage. In the aftermath of Adesanya’s win, the former ruled out a rematch as he urged Pereira to chase the smoke at light heavyweight. 

Pereira obliged, as he took on Jan Blachowicz in his first fight at the weight class at UFC 291 in the co-main attraction.

Pereira walked out victorious, as he won a split decision: 29-28, 28-29, 29-28. Following the victory, Pereira was targeting a shot at the vacant title.

"I want to fight for the belt. It doesn’t matter who. Right now, I’m focused on this division. I want to be the champion of this division and then I have some business to solve."

"I feel good. I feel energized, recharged compared to the last few weight cuts this one was only 20 to 30 percent compared to the other ones. 

"But, like I said, I just need a little break to rest a little bit and I’m going to do some unfinished business at middleweight," Pereira

And by the looks of it, Adesanya could be the target of that unfinished business. It is no secret that Adesanya is struggling to find an opponent to defend his middleweight title against.

A fight with Dricus du Plessis appears to be off, as the former struggles with a foot problem and the quick turnaround time.

Meanwhile, getting Sean Strickland into the cage may not be easy as issues over turnaround times and money continue to plague the fight. Regardless of who Adesanya faces, Pereira is ready to step in. 

"I want to do one more fight at light heavyweight, take some time from all those cuts, and then I actually want to fight in the lower weight class again – middleweight.

"In my mind, we are 1-1 at middleweight. I won one at middleweight, Israel won the other one, so nothing more fair than making the trilogy at middleweight," Pereira