UFC 287 has come to a close, but fans are already wondering who Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will fight next. Adesanya managed to take down his nemesis in the second round, putting an end to their heated rivalry. However, a former Middleweight fighter and UFC legend believes that a third fight between the two is the way to go. For now, it remains to be seen what is next for these fierce warriors.
Despite his impressive win over Pereira, Adesanya seems to be lacking a worthy challenger in his division. Khamzat Chimaev or Du Plessis could be potential opponents, but according to the same UFC legend, another fight with Pereira is the logical choice.
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While Adesanya’s future in the division may be uncertain, Pereira appears to be eyeing the light heavyweight division. After Glover Teixeira‘s loss to Jamahal Hill in Brazil, Pereira is seeking revenge on behalf of his teammate. At ringside to support Teixeira, Pereira gave a menacing stare to Hill after his victory
Israel Adesanya Vs Alex Pereira 5?
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, former UFC middleweight and welterweight fighter Chael Sonnen discussed a range of topics. One of the issues that they talked about was Israel Adesanya’s recent turn to the “heel” persona. According to Sonnen, if Pereira requests a rematch with Adesanya as a heel, the fans will demand it.
He said, “Look if Pereira stays at 180, it’s got to be Pereira. Nothing else would really make sense.”
“Whittaker Doesn’t have a dance partner everybody else is booked up.” he further added
Sonnen also pointed out that Adesanya’s claim of being square and fair with Alex Pereira is a characteristic of a heel. He further criticized Adesanya for only having won once against Pereira, who has beaten him three times, and calling it fair.
Sonnen tips Du Plessis to fight Izzy in case Pereira doesn’t
In a recent interview, Chael Sonnen revealed his thoughts on the state of the middleweight division in the UFC. He believes that the division is currently in disarray due to Israel Adesanya’s reign. Sonnen considers that the optimal choice for Adesanya’s next opponent is Du Plessis, who is currently ranked 6th in the middleweight rankings, due to parity in the division, but only if Alex Pereira decides to move up to light heavyweight.
He said:
“Maybe he has gone heel and it does matter what comes next. I mean that division is a mess. Like Du Plessis is got to be the leading candidate even ranked number 6th. Just for the parity, just for something new.”
However, with Adesanya already having defeated all the other top-ranking fighters in the middleweight division, the UFC is struggling to find him a suitable opponent for his next fight. This leaves the promotion and its fans eagerly waiting to see who will step up to challenge the dominant champion.
