Alex Pereira Calls out Israel Adesanya Following Light Heavyweight Title win at UFC 295: ‘Come to Daddy’
Alex Pereira is ready to close out his trilogy with Israel Adesanya inside the Octagon.
Returning to Madison Square Garden, the same venue where he claimed the UFC middleweight championship with a stunning fifth-round knockout of Adesanya last year, Alex Pereira added another piece of gold to his growing collection. In the UFC 295 main event, ‘Poatan’ scored a second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka to capture the 205-pound crown, making him the first fighter in UFC history to win both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles.
Immediately following the contest, Alex Pereira used his interview time with Joe Rogan to call out long-time foe Israel Adesanya, inviting ‘The Last Stylebender’ to make the move to light heavyweight for a third and final meeting inside the Octagon.
“Hey Adesanya, come to daddy,” Pereira said.
Alex Pereira’s First 205 Title challenger will be former champion Jamahal Hill
However, Alex Pereira will first need to deal with the next man in line for a 205-pound title opportunity, Jamahal Hill.
‘Sweet Dreams’ was forced to vacate the strap earlier this year after suffering a ruptured Achilles while participating in a charity basketball game. Already on the mend, Hill intends to be the first man to challenge Pereira in hopes of reclaiming the title he never lost.
As for Israel Adesanya, the two-time middleweight champ is taking some time away from the sport after suffering a lopsided unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September.
Alex Pereis is now 6-1 under the UFC banner, 9-2 overall in mixed martial arts competition. He holds victories against four current or former world champions, including Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz, and Jiri Prochazka.
He’ll look to add a fifth to his hit list when he meets Jamahal Hill sometime in 2024.
