MMA star Alex Pereira foresees short break for Israel Adesanya after recent UFC upset

Alex Pereira, former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s biggest rival, had some words to say regarding “The Last Stylebender”‘s self-imposed hiatus. “Poatan” has fought the Nigerian-born, New Zealand-raised champion four times.

Alex Pereira will now attempt to become a UFC double champion when he headlines UFC 295 against Jiri Prochazka. Adesanya’s feat was unsuccessful because he was defeated by Jan Blachowicz.

Pereira forecasts Israel Adesanya’s comeback

Having fought Israel Adesanya a total of 4 times across two different sports, it’s very likely that Pereira knows a thing or two about his opponent. Even though Pereira leads 3-1 in their rivalry, in their latest face-off at UFC 287, it was Adesanya who emerged victorious with a brutal 2nd round KO which was followed by one of the most iconic celebrations in UFC history.

At UFC 293, Israel Adesanya was poised to defend against Sean Strickland, a massive underdog. However, against all odds, Strickland dominated Adesanya throughout the fight and even scored a knockdown in the first round. In the aftermath of the fight, Adesanya was gracious in defeat and was even poised to fight Strickland in a rematch. Even Dana White was willing to give an immediate rematch to Adesanya much to the dismay of many.

However, Adesanya in a podcast episode announced his hiatus. Moreover, he was asked about it in Riyadh when Francis Ngannou fought Tyson Fury and he replied that he would return in 2027. Now, Pereira has voiced his opinion on the matter. Speaking at the press conference preluding UFC 295, the Brazilian said that Adesanya would be back sooner rather than later.

Furthermore, he believes that an extended layoff is not beneficial, and that the reason for Adesanya’s hiatus is motivation, and that he will be ready once he receives motivation. In Adesanya’s absence, Dana White named Dricus Du Plessis as the next middleweight title challenger. Du Plessis and Strickland would headline UFC 297 in Canada, the promotion’s first pay-per-view event of 2024.

Alex Pereira set to face Jiri Prochazka for vacant light heavyweight belt

Alex Pereira will be vying for double champion status in the main event of UFC 295 against Jiri Prochazka. The Brazilian, who defeated Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 281, will attempt to repeat the feat at light heavyweight against the Czech Republican fighter.

In addition, at UFC 281 in MSG, Alex Pereira defeated Adesanya to win the middleweight title. Furthermore, Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier became double champions at MSG. Cormier and McGregor were both double champions at the same time. In addition, Jiri Prochazka defeated Pereira’s mentor, Glover Teixeira, to win the light heavyweight title that Pereira would later relinquish due to injury.

It needs to be noted that Pereira has fought only 5 times in the UFC to Prochazka’s 3. Their talent is evident from the fact that they both became UFC champions before they even had 5 fights with the promotion. Their matchup was initially the co-main event of the PPV. However, the original main event fighter, Jon Jones suffered an injury and his bout with Stipe Miocic was rescheduled to another date.

Do you think Alex Pereira will defeat Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295? Leave your comment below!