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Enemy To Advocate: Why Israel Adesanya Wants Alex Pereira to Achieve “Rare Air” at UFC Freedom 250
Israel Adesanya wants former foe Alex Pereira to become the new UFC heavyweight champion.
MMA, at its heart, is a community, a collection of fighters and teams that all want the same goal: To win. While enmity is the widely spent currency, camaraderie is also exchanged.
Nothing bonds fighters more than shared combat. Locked in a cage for up to 25 minutes, athletes compete for money and eventual status. So, when Israel Adesanya (24-6, 16 KO) displays his belief in Alex Pereira's ability to win the UFC heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250, he speaks from a measure of experience.
Israel Adesanya on Pereira Ahead of UFC Freedom 250 Sunday Night
"This is what the division needed. (Jon) Jones is in or out; we don't know," Israel Adesanya began. "Aspinall is still recovering from the last fight with Gane, so now they need something fresh, a guy like Alex who's come to the UFC, smoked dudes to fight me, and then beat me, and then from there becoming the light heavyweight champion, and then now, never been done before, never even been attempted. This is rare air."
Israel Adesanya knows Pereira (13-3, 11 KO) well. They fought twice, with each claiming a victory. Ironically, they knocked each other out. trading the middleweight title.
The 38-year-old will fight Cyril Gane (13-2, nine finishes)for the UFC interim heavyweight championship on Sunday. Adesanya credits Pereira for taking his strong background in kickboxing (33-7, 21 KO) as the foundation of what he wants to accomplish.
"This is a level where you have to really just appreciate what this guy has done from kickboxing, from his background, his ties to his roots," Israel Adesanya continued. Whether you love him or hate him, you have to really appreciate the magnitude of where this guy is taking it to now. This is crazy."
Heavyweight Championship Picture Murky Ahead of Freedom 250
Critics may say the title picture is watered down because Tom Aspinall is out with a serious eye injury, yet none of the burden needs to fall on the future Hall of Famer, in a division that includes Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, and Junior dos Santos, as well as Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Pereira can carve his name in the history books, becoming the first three-division champion in the organization's history.
