Alex Pereira addresses Israel Adesanya's recent losses, what the UFC icon could do to recover
Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya have shared a long and storied rivalry across two combat sports. "Poatan" has now given his take on Adesanya's recent setbacks in the UFC.
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira are both regarded as bona fide combat sports legends. That said, Adesanya has lately faced a few setbacks inside the octagon and currently finds himself on a four-fight losing streak.
Brazil's Pereira, who engaged in a bitter rivalry with Adesanya, has now put forth his assessment of the latter's losing streak.
Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya feud, and Adesanya's recent losses
The two rivals have clashed against each other across two combat sports -- twice each in kickboxing and mixed martial arts. Their first encounter was a kickboxing match under the Glory of Heroes promotional banner in 2016, in which Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision.
Their second encounter was also a kickboxing match, again under the Glory of Heroes banner, albeit in 2017, wherein Pereira beat Adesanya via third-round KO.
Additionally, their third encounter transpired in the form of an MMA bout in the UFC organization. They clashed for Adesanya's UFC middleweight title in 2022. Pereira rallied in the fifth round to stage a comeback TKO win and dethrone the Nigeria-born Kiwi fighter.
Moreover, their fourth encounter was also an MMA bout, which came to fruition immediately after their third clash. It saw Adesanya secure a come-from-behind second-round knockout win over Pereira to reclaim the middleweight belt in 2023.
Well, Pereira then moved up in weight and enjoyed two reigns as the UFC light heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, Adesanya lost the middleweight belt via unanimous decision to Sean Strickland later in 2023.
"The Last Stylebender" then lost by submission to Dricus du Plessis in a middleweight title clash in 2024. Adesanya was later beaten via TKO by Nassourdine Imavov in 2025. "Izzy" then suffered a TKO loss against Joe Pyfer earlier this year.
UFC Freedom 250 star Alex Pereira expresses his respect for Israel Adesanya
During a recent conversation with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alex Pereira was asked about whether it's been tough for him to watch Israel Adesanya's recent defeats and if he has any advice for Adesanya to return to his winning ways.
Furthermore, Heck alluded to the paradigm shift in the Pereira-Adesanya dynamics, including the respect and friendship they've displayed toward one another after their fourth fight.
In regard to possible advice he could give to Adesanya, Pereira stated the following via his coach and translator Plinio Cruz:
"Who am I to say, brother? Like, the guy had a brilliant career. You know what I mean? That can happen to anybody. I just signed eight fights; that can happen to me tomorrow. Who says that I'm gonna win eight fights in a row? I can start losing."
Pereira continued, "Things, they can happen. You know what I mean? But the guy (Israel Adesanya) had great moments. He had a great career, great success. And he have my respect."
Presently, Pereira is scheduled to co-headline UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14. He'll fight Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. On the other hand, the UFC has yet to officially announce Adesanya's next opponent and comeback date.
Watch Alex Pereira address Israel Adesanya's recent skid below (*comments at the 14:30-minute mark of the video):
