“He stops killing…” – Israel Adesanya has high hopes for Alex Pereira after speculation about the UFC champion’s injury turns out to be true

Israel Adesanyadespite his long-standing and career-defining rivalry with Alex Pereirais happy that “Poatan” is so successful. The Brazilian, of course, beat “Izzy” in 2022 and won the middleweight title, only to lose it again in the rematch at the beginning of last year.

Since then, he has moved up to the 205-pound light heavyweight division and not only became champion, but also defended his title twice! Not to mention, the Brazilian may become the first UFC champion in three weight classes if Dana White and Co. grant him his wish of a heavyweight title shot.

And Israel Adesanya admitted in an interview with Daniel Cormier that he was not only happy about Pereira’s success, but also wished him all the best for his continued rise. “Izzy” even went so far as to say that Pereira would end his career on a high and continue his dominant career in the UFC.

“I’m so happy with what he’s doing right now. I’ve fought him four f***ing times. Every time I fought him, I knew I could beat him until he beat me. And now we’re here. I hope he retires after killing those guys. I wished him luck when he moved up to 205… I wished him luck.” he said.

Pereira, of course, moved up last year, mainly because he had to put his body through hell to make the middleweight limit of 185 pounds. The incumbent light heavyweight weighs between 230 and 240 pounds, so he had to cut almost a quarter of his body weight to get to 185! But since he’s gone, the middleweight division once dominated by Adesanya has seen major changes, starting with Adesanya unceremoniously losing his title last year.

Israel Adesanya is just another contender after his defeat at UFC 305

The greatest humiliation for Israel Adesanya was undoubtedly the loss of his title to Sean Strickland last year. It was probably the biggest upset in UFC history, because not only did Strickland beat Adesanya, but “Tarzan” did so for virtually every second of the entire 25 minutes of their fight at UFC 293. A quick knockout might have been better for “Izzy,” because his fight with Strickland, which virtually no one expected to win and which the New Zealander had insulted to the moon and back, proved who was the better fighter. At least on this night.

This caused the former champion to take a break from fighting to recover from the many aches and minor injuries he was carrying around, not to mention the trauma Strickland had undoubtedly inflicted on him. And being a great champion, Adesanya’s first fight after the break was for the middleweight title, against a man he personally hated.

Play against the reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 305 after over a year of feuding, the stage was set for the triumphant return of the prodigal son of the middleweight division. And Adesanya delivered, showing off his old self that once seemed invincible. But “DDP” is nothing if not stubborn and stubborn and successfully defeated “Izzy” in the fourth round.

Now, Adesanya is just another challenger, something he is not used to, having only won the UFC title a year after joining the promotion. But it’s nice to see that despite his own recent setbacks, “Izzy” has the generosity and strength of character to be happy about his biggest rival’s successes. What do you think of Adesanya’s comments about Du Plessis?