Alex Pereira’s former rival Israel Adesanya wants to see him make history. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Adesanya revealed he is backing his former opponent to defeat Ciryl Gane in the interim heavyweight title fight at the UFC White House event.
A victory would put Pereira in position to achieve something Adesanya believes is unprecedented. Other combat sports analysts say otherwise on that agenda.
Read our predictions for Alex Pereira vs. Cyril Gane here.
Adesanya Wants to See Pereira Make History
On his Youtube channel, Adesanya praised his former rival.
“This is what the division needed.”
“Jones is in or out, we don’t know. Aspinall is still recovering from the last fight with Gane. So now they needed something fresh.”
Adesanya had nothing but respect for Pereira’s rise from elite kickboxer to UFC champion, calling his pursuit of heavyweight gold “rare air.”
“Even if he was fighting Godzilla, I wanna see Alex do it.”
“It’s like seeing the first person climb Everest, or a four minute mile.”
“I want Alex to get it done. I really believe he’s gonna get it done. It’s just destiny. This is this is bigger than anything.”
While backing Pereira, Adesanya stressed that Ciryl Gane presents a serious challenge in what would be Pereira’s first heavyweight bout in MMA (I assume he is referring to the eye pokes).
Rivalry Turned Respect: Adesanya and Pereira
Adesanya and Pereira shared one of MMA’s most well-known rivalries, spanning in the kickboxing world and beyond the UFC. Pereira won their first two kickboxing fights, including a knockout that defined their early history.
After years of history in kickboxing, the two rivals met again under the UFC banner, with Pereira dethroning Adesanya at UFC 281 to become middleweight champion. Adesanya later scored a dramatic knockout win in their rematch at UFC 287 to even the score in MMA.
Despite their competitive past, both fighters have shown mutual respect in recent years, with Adesanya now openly supporting Pereira’s pursuit of another historic milestone.