Fans debate how fight between prime versions of Anderson Silva and Alex Pereira would have gone, after Israel Adesanya weighs in on same

MMA fans recently voiced their opinions after witnessing Israel Adesanya's take on a potential encounter between the prime versions of Anderson Silva and Alex Pereira.

'The Spider' is remembered by fans as one of the greatest ever in the sport with 10 consecutive title defenses at middleweight. Meanwhile, 'Poatan's' achievement of being a two-weight division champion has boosted his stature to one of the most noted UFC fighters of the current era. Adesanya stands as a common rival for both.

On account of Adesanya's expertise in the field, a fan recently asked him about how he thinks a middleweight encounter between the best versions of Silva and Pereira would've played out.

A recent Instagram post from @espnmma showcased 'The Last Stylebender' analyzing various aspects of their fighting styles to eventually pick Silva as the victor of this evenly matched fantasy encounter.

A large chunk of fans agreed with Adesanya's prediction while some didn’t or failed to come up with a pick. A few such comments read:

"Has to be Silva"

"At 185, [I'm] leaning [towards] Silva, maybe."

"The game has evolved. So, Pereira would most likely win. But he is chinny at 185."

"This could have gone either way"

Check out a few reactions below:

Fan reactions to @espnmma's Instagram post. [Screenshots courtesy: @espnmma on Instagram]

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Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya seem to have moved past their rivalry

The friction between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya started during their time in kickboxing. But the subsequent UFC entries of both these fighters stretched their rivalry to the octagon. The two locked horns for the first time in MMA at UFC 281 where Pereira earned a TKO victory. However, Adesanya settled the scores with a TKO victory of his own in their rematch at UFC 287.

Potentially, a trilogy fight between the two is still possible. That said, both Pereira and Adesanya seemed to have moved on from their competitive mindset toward each other. The pair were spotted sitting together while watching UFC 312 at the Qudos Bank Center.

Pereira also seemingly intended to end the rivalry by offering Adesanya to train and partner with him:

"Let’s get together, let’s make this partnership happen. I have a lot to show you and you have a lot to show me." [Translated from Portuguese to English by Pereira’s coach Plinio Cruz]