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Israel Adesanya will only complete Alex Pereira trilogy at light heavyweight

James Herrick / UFC / June 14, 2023

Alex Pereira Israel Adesanya — Israel Adesanya is open to fighting Alex Pereira a third time in the UFC octagon, but it has to happen at light heavyweight. (Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports)

Israel Adesanya will only complete Alex Pereira trilogy at light heavyweight

Israel Adesanya has re-opened the possibility of fighting Alex Pereira in the UFC octagon for the third time. Adesanya has set the requirements needed for him to agree to fight Pereira again. If Pereira wins the light heavyweight championship, Adesanya will take the fight. Otherwise, the bout will not happen.

“If (Pereira) wins the belt at 205, I’ll do it again,” Adesanya said Monday on “The MMA Hour.” “But if not – I think he’s done with it. I’m done with it. Everyone else wants to see it, but we’ve moved on. It’s life.”
Quote via TheScore

After Adesanya knocked out Pereira in the second round of their MMA rematch, Pereira announced he would move up to light heavyweight.

At UFC 291, Pereira is scheduled to fight former champion Jan Blachowicz. If Pereira wins that bout, it is highly likely that Pereira fights for the title. It is hard to forecast when or who that championship fight would come against, though.

Jamahal Hill currently sits atop the light heavyweight division. Hill was the man to claim the division’s throne after former champion Jiri Prochazka was forced to vacate the title due to injury. Now, the UFC is working on pitting Hill and Prochazka against one another. The latter’s injury situation has complicated the fight scheduling and Hill is understandably getting impatient.

Israel Adesanya on UFC 287 Celebration: ‘I did that kid a favor’

In the past, Adesanya has stated that he was unwilling to fight Pereira for a third time in MMA. A third fight between the pair is certainly more appealing if were to take place at light heavyweight.

In this hypothetical scenario, Adesanya would have the opportunity to become a simultaneous double champion. This is something that only four fighters have ever accomplished. At the same time, he would get a chance to earn his second victory over Pereira. That would be a career-defining type of bout for Adesanya and it is easy to see why he would entertain the fight.

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