"One and done" - Alex Pereira decides to move on from Israel Adesanya, fans react

Alex Pereira recently hinted at the possibility of putting the Israel Adesanya rivalry behind him.

After securing a second-round knockout victory against Jiri Prochazka and clinching the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 295 in November, 'Poatan' wasted no time in calling out Adesanya for a trilogy fight.

The longtime adversaries have crossed paths four times in combat sports, with Pereira claiming victory over Adesanya twice in kickboxing, and each man capturing one victory in their UFC octagon encounters. Overall, Pereira is 3-1 against Adesanya.

Pereira clinched the middleweight championship by defeating 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 281 in November 2022, but later relinquished the title in a rematch against Adesanya at UFC 287. While a third meeting might bring closure to their rivalry, Adesanya is currently on a break, a choice he made following his title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

During a recent Q&A hosted by Ares FC (via MMA Fighting), the reigning 205-pound champion stated that if Adesanya maintains his decision to remain out of competition, he is prepared to progress forward.

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below:

Fans responded to Pereira's comments with an array of reactions.

One fan wrote:

"Izzy is never going to fight Poatan again. He’s scared to death of Alex. He and everyone knows that playing possum only ever works once."

Another wrote:

"Issue is now he can’t just move up and fight the champ he’s got no belt, he’ll have to have a contender fight 🤣"

Check out some more reactions below:

"One and done, move on big man"

"He won't come up he saw you got the chin that you wanted"

"He scared of you @AlexPereiraUFC"

Credits: @MMAFighting on X

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Anthony Smith applauds Alex Pereira's journey: From Glory to UFC light heavyweight title

Anthony Smith expressed admiration for Alex Pereira and feels that his story is worthy of being documented.

The 36-year-old Brazilian's journey to the summit of the MMA world is characterized by absolute resilience. Breaking free from the grip of alcoholism early in life, 'Poatan' discovered purpose in kickboxing, ultimately achieving the status of a two-division Glory kickboxing champion.

Pereira's drive effortlessly transitioned to MMA, propelling him to become a two-division UFC champion in just seven fights.

During a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Smith praised Pereira, emphasizing his outstanding skills and strong mental resilience. He said:

"He's a great striker. He's a physical specimen. I think his mentality is what impresses me the most… He's competitive enough [on the ground] to be safe with a lot of guys. The man has got 7 UFC fights and beaten four champions… They're gonna write a story about him someday, for sure."