Alex Pereira remains betting underdog to beat Israel Adesanya after UFC 295 title victory
Suggesting a light heavyweight championship fight with arch-rival, Israel Adesanya in a potential mixed martial arts trilogy bout, recently minted gold holder, Alex Pereira has opened and remains a betting underdog to beat the City Kickboxing staple in a third fight, after his UFC 295 win.
Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion, who holds a knockout and decision win over Adesanya during their respective kickboxing tenures, made his return at UFC 295 earlier this month in New York, landing the light heavyweight crown with a knockout win over Jiri Prochazka.
And in the immediate aftermath of the Madison Square Garden showcase, in which Alex Pereira landed his second promotional crown, the Brazilian offered to fight Adesanya at the light heavyweight limit in a mixed martial arts rubber-match decider.
Alex Pereira opens as underdog against Israel Adesanya
Opening as a sizeable betting underdog at +155 to successfully defend his light heavyweight crown against Adesanya if they share the Octagon together again, the Brazilian is sitting versus a -185 betting favorite in the form of the Nigerian-Kiwi.
Such bookmaker odds allow you to make a profitable bet on this fight. And confidence in the champion can be turned into the best bet for the fight Pereira vs Adesanya. With Adesanya most recently featuring in a title loss to Sean Strickland ‘Down Under,’ it’s a prime opportunity to explore these odds at your convenience.
Suggesting a third title fight in the UFC as soon as next year, Pereira’s offer has been knocked back by the City Kickboxing staple immediately, however.
“I’m not the type of guy to call people out but there’s a guy that back in the day did some interviews and I said I was a guy who as just going to stay in the bar,” Alex Pereira told Joe Rogan after UFC 295. “That motivated me. He rescued me from a bar to be here today. This guy said he just wants to come back and fight in 2027. I think he’s a very talented guy. It’s a waste of talent so I want to rescue him too, to come here and fight.”
“I know that I’m not going to do what he did to me to and make me fight three times to fight at middleweight,” Alex Pereira explained. “I know it’s a guy we have a lot of history. I want to make this fight happen. (Israel) Adesanya, come to daddy.”
First sharing the Octagon at UFC 281 back in November of last year in ‘The Big Apple’, Pereira rallied to turn in a stunning fifth round win over the then-defending, Adesanya, striking with a spectacular standing TKO victory at Madison Square Garden.
In April of this year, rematching Florida, Adesanya, challenging for middleweight spoils, Pereira was stopped in the second round by the former – who rallied himself in the second round to stop the Sao Paulo native with a thunderous counter right hook KO in ‘The Sunshine State’.
Adesanya has teased a potential layoff until 2027 at the very earliest amid his loss to Strickland, however, also flirted with a potential comeback as March of next year at a pegged Saudi Arabia event.
Would you like to see Israel Adesanya fight Alex Pereira for a third time in MMA?
