Israel Adesanya believes that even if Alex Pereira wins at UFC 276, he still won’t have earned a title shot. But that doesn’t mean Adesanya won’t give him one.
“Earned? I don’t think he’s earned it, to be honest,” Adesanya said ahead of UFC 276. It’s something I like. I like the tailor-made matchups though, because it makes a bigger story, and guess what? I get a bigger and more lucrative paycheck when we fight. So, deserve? I don’t know. Earned? Definitely not. He’s still here, and it is what I love .”
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Adesanya has a long history of being rivals. Pereira beat Adesanya twice during kickboxing. The two first fought in 2016, with Pereira winning a controversial unanimous decision. They rematched a year later, and despite getting the worst of it for the first two rounds, Pereira authored a storming comeback, knocking Adesanya out in the third. That finish is still the only stoppage loss of Adesanya’s combat sports career.
As a result, the UFC appears to be pushing for a trilogy bout between the two, rushing Pereira into a bout with Sean Strickland this weekend in what is seemingly a No. 1 contender’s bout, despite Pereira only being 5-1 in MMA (2-0 in the UFC) and defeating no ranked opposition. And for Adesanya, it’s just proof that Pereira got here because of him.
“Coattails, because the guy’s supposedly beat me in kickboxing and he’s still trying to chase me because I’m the one winning in life,” Adesanya said when asked about Pereira’s positioning in the UFC. That story is very interesting to me. This is the story that we tell ourselves. If Sean Strickland is not there, the story’s arc will be stunning.
” I said Jiri, a light heavyweight champion who has had three UFC fights but has a long record of success in MMA. He’s had only four to five fights. That is crazy. But you know what they’re doing, but I like that because I get to take him out early, before — he’s going to get good. But not now .”
Pereira obviously disagrees. Pereira clearly disagrees. Pereira claimed during his media day scrum, that Adesanya had already been defeated twice with his kickboxing gloves. So, “imagine how it’s going down in four-ounce gloves.” Adesanya quickly responded by saying the same.
“Imagine what I can do with four-ounce gloves,” Adesanya said. “I did the same thing to him in the second fight … I f***** this guy up in the first fight. Not crazy, but the judges gave it to him. He was on his skates when I called for a judgment. I made an error and it turned out to be a wonderful story. In his backyard, he came and knocked me out in round three. It was a wonderful story.
“Return to UFC 92. Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson. This is a good example of why I think this will go the third time. He who laughs last, laughs best, and I’m going to have the last laugh.”
UFC 276 will be held this Saturday, at T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas.
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