Israel Adesanya has never needed much convincing to take a shot at his longtime rival Alex Pereira, but this time, the former UFC middleweight champion believes the Brazilian knockout artist is essentially waving the white flag before the fight even starts.
With Pereira officially preparing to step into the Octagon against heavyweight knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 on December 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Adesanya is far from thrilled about the manner in which his old foe is approaching the bout. Specifically, Adesanya is taking issue with Pereira openly discussing a potential escape route back down to the light heavyweight division in the event of a defeat, openly questioning why any elite fighter would willingly walk into a high-stakes combat sports match with a built-in safety net for getting their head knocked off.
The critique came to light during a recent appearance by Adesanya on Precision, the podcast he hosts alongside former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. During their discussion, Adesanya did not hold back his confusion and disdain regarding Pereira’s pre-fight mentality.
“I don’t know why he’s taking this fight, it doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, I already saw a clip of Pereira saying if he loses to Pavlovich, he’s going back down to 205,” Adesanya told Johnson on the podcast. “I don’t like that. I don’t like the fact he’s putting that out there. What the f*ck do you mean, ‘If I lose?’”
Adesanya has famously never been one to bite his tongue, especially when the conversation turns toward the man who has played such a defining, complex role in his combat sports career. Whether they were trading blows under the banner of Glory kickboxing or sharing the UFC Octagon across multiple weight classes, their rivalry has remained one of the most compelling narratives in modern MMA. With Pereira’s future weight-class plans once again drawing intense media attention and fan scrutiny, Adesanya had a simple, direct message for his former rival: quit the external noise, stop overcomplicating things, and stick to what has made him a global superstar.
“Go back to Chama. All this BS, all this fugazi, just stick to Chama. Why not just stay at 205 after this last fight with Ciryl Gane?” asked Adesanya, referencing Pereira’s ongoing maneuvers across heavier weight divisions.
The rivalry and mutual history between Adesanya and Pereira add a thick layer of intrigue to every move the Brazilian makes. Over the years, their combat athletic journeys have been deeply intertwined. Pereira famously defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing—once by decision and once by a devastating knockout—before transitioning to mixed martial arts and following Adesanya to the UFC. Once in the promotion, Pereira captured the middleweight championship by stopping Adesanya in the fifth round of their dramatic UFC 281 encounter in November 2022. However, the chapter seemingly reached a definitive competitive climax at UFC 287 in April 2023, when Adesanya exacted his revenge, rendering Pereira unconscious with a stunning second-round knockout to reclaim the 185-pound throne.
Following that pivotal night in Miami, Pereira made the strategic decision to move up to the light heavyweight division, a weight class where many analysts and fighters felt he belonged physically given his massive frame. He quickly conquered that division as well, adding another championship belt to his illustrious resume and cementing his status as one of the most prolific and dangerous strikers in combat sports history.
However, Pereira’s ambitions have not stopped at 205 pounds, leading him toward the heavyweight clash with Pavlovich scheduled for December 12. Yet, it is precisely this continuous upward wandering through weight classes—coupled with the safety net of a planned retreat—that has drawn Adesanya’s public ire.
Reflecting on Pereira’s physical evolution and the narrative surrounding his body type, Adesanya pointed out the shifting perceptions regarding weight cutting and division changes throughout their overlapping careers.
“I thought he was going to go to 205. It made sense. He’s a big dude for 185. People didn’t say sh*t about weight-cutting until I knocked him out,” Adesanya noted, highlighting the historical context of the size advantages and weight-cut narratives that followed their middleweight bouts.
Now, as the combat sports world looks ahead to the closing weeks of the year, all eyes are fixed on the marquee matchup at UFC 335. Sergei Pavlovich represents one of the most terrifying punching threats in the entire heavyweight division, possessing the kind of raw, concussive power that can end a fight with a single exchange. Entering a bout against an athlete of Pavlovich’s caliber requires absolute mental clarity, unshakeable confidence, and total commitment to the task at hand.
From Adesanya’s perspective, publicly contemplating a return to light heavyweight before the opening bell even rings suggests a fatal flaw in preparation—a subconscious admission of vulnerability that could spell disaster against a heavyweight destroyer like Pavlovich. Whether Pereira addresses his rival’s comments or simply lets his fists do the talking inside the T-Mobile Arena on December 12 remains to be seen, but the war of words has undoubtedly added another layer of anticipation to an already explosive heavyweight showdown.
