Conor McGregor claims Israel Adesanya would still be champion if there was no time limit in Alex Pereira fight

While praising Alex Pereira, Conor McGregor has insisted that Israel Adesanya would likely still be the UFC middleweight champion if the promotion didn't have time limits in their ruleset.

'The Last Stylebender' once again put on another striking clinic last time out, but similar to their previous bout in kickboxing, he was caught with a heavy left hook and finished. With a 0-3 record against the Brazilian, the former champion will likely have to rethink his game plan if they're ever matched up again in the future.

In a post on social media, Conor McGregor announced his excitement at a potential fourth fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira and claimed the Nigerian-born New Zealander would still be holding UFC gold had there been no time limit in fights.

"A really solid fighter this guy is! Stability. Himself and Israel Adesanya is one hell of a rivalry! I can't wait to see it unfold! Izzy so close each time. No time limit and Izzy still has that belt. Excited for their forthcoming [fight]! Team Paradigm Sports all the way."

'The Notorious' is a strong advocate for fighters that are represented by Paradigm Sports, with former light heavyweight king Jiri Prochazka, newly crowned 170lb champion Leon Edwards, and the aforementioned Adesanya being a small handful of them.

McGregor has been teasing a return to the octagon and has claimed that his return bout will likely take place at welterweight, despite him only having one fight in the weight class.

Rumors are beginning to circulate regarding who the Irishman will face for his comeback fight, with Jorge Masvidal and Michael Chandler's names continuing to resurface.

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The meaning of Conor McGregor's tweet regarding Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira

Above, Conor McGregor made the bold claim that Israel Adesanya would still be the middleweight champion of the world had the UFC not had time limits, but what does he mean by that?

The City Kickboxing student was firmly in control of his fight against the South American at UFC 281 last month and at the end of the first round, landed a huge two-punch combination that wobbled his opponent.

Before he managed to get off any more offense, the round came to an end and Pereira brilliantly got his wits about him and recovered tremendously. With the fight coming to a close, the 35-year-old hurt and finished Adesanya, but with a little more time in the first round, we could have witnessed a much different outcome.