Pereira Offers To Train Adesanya, Gives Him A Lifeline
Alex Pereira has given a lifeline to Israel Adesanya by offering to train him.
The pair are very close friends but were once very fierce rivals. They faced each other twice in the octagon. Pereira won the first fight at UFC 281 by knocking out Adesanya in the final round to win the UFC Middleweight Title. The rematch took place immediately at UFC 287. Adesanya got his revenge by stopping Pereira with a counter shot to reclaim the middleweight title. There was never a trilogy, as Pereira moved up to light heavyweight. Since then, Pereira’s career has gone from strength to strength. He stopped Khalil Rountree Jr. in his last fight as he retained his UFC Light Heavyweight title.
He will face the Russian Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in one of the most dangerous fights of his career. Adesanya, however, has not had much success since the Pereira win. He lost his title immediately in his next fight by coming unstuck against Sean Strickland. He had the opportunity to reclaim the belt when he took on Dricus Du Plessis. However, he suffered a fourth-round submission loss in a major upset defeat.
He is also coming off a second-round knockout loss against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi, meaning he has not won his last three fights. Michael Bisping has suggested that Adesanya’s time is over, and he should retire. A world title is unlikely, as Adesanya will have to question his motivations for fighting. He has secured enough money to walk away from the sport and build a brand outside of the UFC.
Adesanya’s Future
“The biggest takeaway is that it’s over. Israel Adesanya’s reign as champion, I don’t think will come again. “I say that with the greatest of respect and I truly mean that. An original. An incredible fighter. A legend of the sport. A future Hall of Famer. But his time at the top is done. The career that he’s had is legendary but more importantly the man’s an original,” Bisping said
But Pereira was spotted alongside Adesanya as they watched Du Plessis beat Strickland at UFC 312. Pereira has now said he is willing to train him, whilst Adesanya’s previous comments show that he is willing to take up that offer when the time is right.
“Chama, chama. Let’s get together, let’s make this partnership happen. We have a lot to show you, and you have a lot to show [me]. Chama, good to see you, brother,” Pereira said
“Yeah, definitely down the road…Yeah, eventually it will, but right now it’s not that time. He lives so far away, the opportunity hasn’t arisen. We still have guys like Carlos [Ulberg] in the trenches, working hard, getting ready for his next fight so he can become a No. 1 contender. I’ll always respect ‘Poatan.’ He’s a guy that we already understood this and we’ve already shared this with each other, so yeah, it will happen one day. Who knows when,” Adesanya
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