Israel Adesanya teases Alex Pereira’s son following brutal KO win at UFC 287: ‘I’ll whoop your ass’
Newly minted undisputed middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya took the time during his post-fight celebration to call back a prior rivalry with the son of opponent, Alex Pereira – mocking and teasing Alessandro Pereira after stopping his father with a brutal second round knockout in the main event of UFC 287.
Adesanya, now a two-time undisputed middleweight champion under the banner of the UFC, managed to lodge his first victory over Brazilian finisher, Pereira in combat sports at the fourth time of trying in Miami, Florida last night.
Rallying himself from a difficult opening round and some definite adversity in the second frame, Adesanya claimed he “roped-a-doped” Pereira at the Octagon fence following a heavy combination of strikes from the Brazilian, before countering and landing a devastating knockout victory of his own.
Following Pereira to the Octagon canvas, Nigerian-Kiwi striker, pinned the Sao Paulo native to the canvas with an iconic archery celebration, before taking a lap of honor, and then slumping to the Octagon floor himself, in apparent mockery of Pereira.
However, speaking with assembled media following UFC 287, Adesanya called back Pereira’s so, Alessandro Pereira’s mockery of his 2017 knockout loss to his father in Brazil – where the latter lay down beside an unconscious Adesanya.
“I’m petty, bro,” Israel Adesanya said. “I remember the first time [Alex Pereira] knocked me out in Brazil, and his son came into the ring and then started to lie dead next to me, and I’m like, ‘you f*cking little asshole. I’ll whoop your ass if your dad don’t do it for you.’”
“But then, yeah, I looked for his kid [in the crowd], and I pointed at him, and I saw him, and I was like, hey, hey, hey, [motions like he fell] just to remind him,” Israel Adesanya explained.
Israel Adesanya uninterested in immediate trilogy with Alex Pereira
Receiving a slew of callouts from the likes of former opponents, Robert Whittaker, and Jan Blachowicz following his knockout win – as well as unbeaten welterweight phenom, Khamzat Chimaev, Adesanya appeared less than interested in granting Pereira an immediate title rematch and trilogy rubber match in mixed martial arts – urging him to work his way through a pile of contenders first.
