How will Israel Adesanya's UFC future look if he loses to Alex Pereira again? Former champion predicts

This weekend at UFC 287, Israel Adesanya will attempt to regain the middleweight title from the man who took it from him, Alex Pereira.

Israel Adesanya’s loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 last November was his third defeat at the hands of ‘Poatan’, who also beat him twice in kickboxing. Many observers are now questioning the future of ‘The Last Stylebender’ if he loses again this weekend.

One such observer is former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. ‘Triple C’ recently took to YouTube to discuss the upcoming bout, and had the following to say about a potentially bleak future for Adesanya:

“If Israel Adesanya does lose to Alex Pereira, it’s like, yeah, there’s nothing else you can do...the UFC could do another fight if they want, but that means in the future and Israel might have to go on a 10-fight win streak for him to get another title shot...but this is do or die and I think Israel knows that.”

Catch the full video below:

Given what happened to other fighters who lost to the same opponent in multiple title shots, Cejudo’s theory is probably correct.

Robert Whittaker, for instance, was unable to gain a third shot at Adesanya despite beating numerous high-level opponents, while Max Holloway now feels frozen out of the featherweight title picture after three losses to champ Alexander Volkanovski.

We will find out this weekend, of course, whether ‘The Last Stylebender’ can avoid this doomed fate.

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What happened when Israel Adesanya fought Alex Pereira at UFC 281?

Israel Adesanya’s UFC middleweight title bout against Alex Pereira in November 2022 would’ve been his sixth successful title defense in a row had he come out on top.

On paper, at least, the fight looked favorable for Adesanya. While he had suffered two losses to ‘Poatan’ in the kickboxing ring, he had far more MMA and UFC experience than Pereira, who had only three appearances in the octagon to his name.

However, despite dominating great portions of the fight, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was unable to seal a victory.

In the fifth and final round, when Adesanya stumbled following a checked leg kick, Pereira quickly opened up on him with a brutal flurry and finished him via TKO for the first time in his MMA career.

Their rematch is set to take place this weekend at UFC 287 in Miami, Florida, just five months after their previous meeting. It is likely to be one of the most talked-about clashes of 2023.