Alex Pereira gives his prediction for arch-nemesis Israel Adesanya's next title fight against Dricus du Plessis

Alex Pereira has offered his take on archrival Israel Adesanya's upcoming fight. Adesanya is scheduled to face reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis for the latter's title in the headlining match of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 18, 2024. Pereira has seemingly picked his longtime foe to defeat du Plessis and win the title.

'Poatan' has fought Adesanya in four professional combat sports contests, twice in kickboxing and MMA, respectively. Pereira went 2-0 against him in kickboxing. In MMA, he beat Adesanya via fifth-round TKO to capture the UFC middleweight title in Nov. 2022. 'The Last Stylebender' reclaimed his title in an immediate rematch, defeating Pereira via second-round KO in April 2023.

Nevertheless, Adesanya lost the middleweight title via unanimous decision in a one-sided fight against Sean Strickland in Sept. 2023, who then lost the title via split decision to du Plessis in Jan. 2024.

Meanwhile, Pereira moved up to light heavyweight and craftily defeated former divisional kingpin Jan Blachowicz via split decision in July 2023. The Brazilian combatant then defeated another former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka, via second-round TKO in Nov. 2023. The win over Prochazka earned Pereira the vacant UFC light heavyweight title.

Presently, Pereira is booked to defend his light heavyweight title in a rematch against Prochazka, whom he'll fight on short notice at UFC 303 (June 29, 2024). On the other hand, Adesanya is scheduled to clash against UFC middleweight champion du Plessis in a long-awaited grudge match at UFC 305 in August.

During his UFC 303 media day scrum, 'Poatan' was asked about how he sees the du Plessis-Adesanya fight playing out. Pereira responded by suggesting that Adesanya is likely to emerge victorious against du Plessis. The 36-year-old stated in Portuguese:

"Well, I don't wanna predict too much of the fight. I mean, you can never know. But I do not see Israel Adesanya losing this fight."

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (14:28):

---

Alex Pereira's potential MMA trilogy fight against Israel Adesanya

Around the 13:33-minute mark of the video featuring Pereira's UFC 303 media scrum, the champion suggested that he accepted the short-notice fight against Jiri Prochazka to stay active.

When asked what he aims to accomplish next, the Brazilian combatant highlighted his current goal of defending his belt. Noting that he wants to compete frequently, as he's unsure how long he'll continue his career, Pereira said:

"I'm 36 years old. I'm turning 37 soon. So, I do not know how long I'll be in this sport or how long I'll be fighting. So, that's it."

The possibility of Alex Pereira and 34-year-old Israel Adesanya retiring in the near future has led many fans to ponder whether or not the potential MMA trilogy fight between the bitter rivals would come to fruition. Speaking to Stake.com, Pereira recently underlined that he won't return to middleweight for their trilogy clash and that it'll be possible only if Adesanya moves up to light heavyweight.