Israel Adesanya In Awe Over Old Foe Alex Pereira’s UFC Debut

UFC middleweight champion is excited about some new blood in his division, especially after his old foe Alex Pereira‘s debut at UFC 268.

Adesanya has been taking some time off since defeating Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 and is slated to face Robert Whittaker for his next title defense tentatively set for UFC 271. The fight is a rematch nearly three years in the making after Adesanya took the belt from Whittaker at UFC 243.

Pereira was making his UFC debut after a long career in kickboxing which featured multiple world titles in Glory. Pereira is the only man to ever knock out Adesanya in any sport, with two wins over him while both were in Glory.

Pereira’s devastating flying knee knockout over Andreas Michailidis was one of the many highlights of the card, but Adesanya wasn’t surprised by Pereira’s incredible start to his UFC career.

Check out Adesanya’s live reaction below.

Israel Adesanya And New UFC Middleweight Alex Pereira Have Quite The History

Adesanya is widely regarded as one of the most creative strikers in the UFC, and the addition of Pereira makes the middleweight division that much more exciting. Before signing with the UFC, Pereira fought in one event with Legacy and earned a first-round knockout over Thomas Powell at LFA 95.

It didn’t take long for Adesanya to find a home in the UFC. Since signing with the promotion in 2018, Adesanya has lost just once over his illustrious career, in a light heavyweight title bout against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.

Pereira has the opportunity to be a real factor in the UFC’s middleweight division and could face Adesanya down the line. After two losses in kickboxing, it’s safe to say that Adesanya would welcome the challenge and the opportunity to get revenge against a former rival.

Do you think we’ll see Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira in the UFC?