One of the most unexpected moments during UFC 312 wasn’t inside the cage, but rather in the crowd. Israel Adesanya was spotted sitting next to his longtime rival, Alex Pereira and the two were seen chatting and sharing a surprisingly pleasant moment together. Given their bitter history, fans were shocked to see the two get along. But Adesanya has since opened up about why he’s decided to bury the hatchet and let the past be the past.
Adesanya and Pereira’s rivalry began in kickboxing, where Pereira won both their encounters. Adesanya then transitioned to MMA, joining the UFC in 2018 and capturing the middleweight title in 2019. Pereira entered the UFC in 2021, making an immediate impact by defeating Sean Strickland in July 2022.
Their first MMA bout occurred on November 12, 2022, at UFC 281, where Pereira won by fifth-round TKO, claiming the middleweight title. A rematch took place on April 8, 2023, at UFC 287, with Adesanya returning the favor with a second-round knockout, reclaiming the title. This series of bouts has solidified their rivalry as one of the most compelling in combat sports history.
But for Izzy, holding onto hate is just “poisoning” himself. While speaking about his decision to put this or any other rivalry aside, Adesanya said,
“With all these guys, what’s hating alex or hating rob or anyone else do for me? it doesn’t serve me at all. It’s just poisoning myself. I’m holding onto hate in my heart for someone that’s moved on. So why would I do that? I’m not that kind of person. I’m just a chill guy.”
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Adesanya has been on a making-up tour with all his previous rivals for some time now. Earlier, last month, he was seen hanging out and chilling with Robert Whittaker. The two even sparred together and broke bread. The two even joked about middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and laughed at how neither could understand how he keeps winning.
Whittaker explains why he is done with Adesanya rivalry
Despite having two losses to Adesanya, Whittaker had always hoped for a trilogy. But after training alongside him and seeing how they got along, he’s no longer interested in that matchup. Speaking about the surprising turn of events, Whittaker said,
“Yeah, it’s a funny world, honestly. If you would’ve asked me a few years ago if I had ever seen this coming, the answer would’ve been, ‘Not in 100 years.’”
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Whittaker explained that after some changes in his team, including an injured training partner and others stepping away, he started looking elsewhere for training help. That’s when City Kickboxing in New Zealand, just a two-and-a-half-hour flight away, became an option. “Everything just started lining up,” Whittaker added.
Now training with Adesanya and under coach Eugene Bareman, Whittaker realizes that a fight with his former foe just isn’t in the cards anymore. “I don’t fight people I eat with,” he said, closing the door on that possibility for good.
