Israel Adesanya Slams Alex Pereira’s Plan to Drop to 205 if He Loses to Sergei Pavlovich: “It Doesn’t Make Sense to Me”
Israel Adesanya is not happy with what Alex Pereira said about his UFC 335 fight against Sergei Pavlovich. "The Last Stylebender" saw a clip of "Poatan" saying he would leave the heavyweight division if he loses to Sergei Pavlovich on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas.
Pereira made these comments in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. The 39-year-old is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Cyril Gane in his heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250 in June, and a second loss would make him 0-2 in the division. Pereira said he wants to win but knows there is a possibility of him losing too.
“If I lose, I’m not going to stay at heavyweight,” Pereira said.
He explained that he is lighter than the other heavyweights and does not want to keep trying to match their strength when he could be doing better in another division.
Israel Adesanya Reacts to Alex Pereira’s Comments
MMA Junkie shared Adesanya's reaction on X. Adesanya said:
“I saw a clip of Pereira saying if he loses to Pavlovich, he’s going back down to 205. I don’t like that. I don’t like that he’s putting that out there. Because what the f*ck you mean, ‘If I lose?’ I don’t know why he’s taking this fight. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Adesanya and Pereira Go Back a Long Way
The two fought four times, twice in the UFC and twice in kickboxing. "Poatan" won both the kickboxing fights, first by decision in 2016 and second by knockout in 2017. He then stopped Adesanya in round five at UFC 281 in Nov. 2022 to win the middleweight title. However, Adesanya took it back with a second-round knockout in a rematch at UFC 287 in April 2023.
After the loss, Pereira moved up to the light heavyweight division, where Adesanya had told him to go "cause problems." Pereira did exactly that and won the title at UFC 295 and became a two-division champion.
The bad blood faded over time, and they were seen sitting cageside together at UFC 312. Pereira also invited Adesanya to train with him, as the two were not going to fight each other again. Adesanya has also backed "Poatan' after his loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.
What’s Next for Alex Pereira?
Pereira's focus for now is set on Sergei Pavlovich. A win against the Russian fighter could give Pereira a chance to fight the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit. A loss, in Pereira’s own words, sends him back to 205, where light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg is one of the few names he has not faced yet.
