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Israel Adesanya will return to the octagon against Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305. The pair will do battle for the middleweight title in a highly anticipated clash, and there are rumors that Alex Pereira could face the winner.
Pereira is currently the UFC light heavyweight champion, and after successfully defending his title against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 300, there was an expectation from some fans that Magomed Ankalaev would face 'Poatan' next.
Ankalaev had previously fought for the belt, against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282, with the fight being ruled a draw. But after defeating Johnny Walker in January this year, the Russian has now been paired against Aleksandar Rakic, and they will feature at UFC 308 in October.
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This has led to theories that Pereira could face longtime rival, Adesanya, should 'The Last Stylebender' reclaim the middleweight title against Du Plessis.
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Ahead of the 185-pound title fight, the former two-time champion was interviewed by MMAJunkie, where he was asked to comment on the rumor that 'Poatan' could face the winner of his UFC 305 clash.
He said this:
"No thought behind it. I think people like to think whatever they want to think, but things aren't always as they seem."
Watch Israel Adesanya's interview below (10:20):
Israel Adesanya discusses near-death experience that altered his perspective ahead of UFC 305
UFC 305 will be headlined by a heated middleweight clash between champion Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.
'Stillknocks' will be defending his title for the first time, and a victory could secure him a fight in his home country of South Africa next, with UFC CEO Dana White having shared eagerness in taking the promotion to the Mother Continent.
Adesanya has payback on his mind, with Du Plessis' prior comments about wanting to be the first "real African UFC champion' having frustrated the then-champion.
But ahead of the middleweight title clash, 'The Last Stylebender' revealed a near-death experience has altered his perspective on life. He recently appeared on Kiwi radio station, The Rock, where he said:
"One of the most important fights of my life, but it's not everything... Last week something happened where I could've died, and also someone else could have died. It could have been really bad. I just realized, at that moment my life flashed before my eyes. It made me realize, I don't care about anything else."
Watch Israel Adesanya's interview below (13:15):
