Israel
Adesanya’s middleweight resume may be enough to earn him an
immediate rematch with Alex
Pereira.
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“I wouldn’t rule it out,” UFC president Dana White said of an
Adesanya-Pereira rematch at the UFC
281 post-fight press conference on Saturday night.
Adesanya appeared to be on his way to a decision victory over
Pereira before his former kickboxing rival swarmed with power
punches for a technical knockout victory in the fifth round of the
UFC 281 headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was the
first career defeat at 185 pounds for “The Last Stylebender.” Prior
to Saturday, Adesanya had successfully defended the middleweight
belt five times since becoming champion. White believes Adesanya’s
willingness to take the bout against Pereira only adds to his
credibility.
“You’ve got to show Israel [respect],” White said. “First of all, I
was saying that this week and it’s the absolute truth, Israel
Adesanya didn’t flinch about taking this fight. He likes to
fight all the time. He took this fight. He wanted this fight. A lot
of people talk publicly and it’s a whole different story behind the
scenes. That guy’s an absolute stud. Always wants to stay active
and a fight that most guys would stall, give me more time, this,
that. He dove right into this fight.
“His only loss was when he tried to move up in weight to 205.
You’ve got to respect him as a champ and what he’s done.”
White added that Adesanya’s strategy down the stretch may have led
to his undoing against an opponent who upped his level of
aggression when he needed to in the championship rounds.
“I think going into that fourth round, if he [Adesanya] was a
little bit more aggressive in that fourth round, who knows what
could have happened,” White said. “But when you start getting into
the fourth, you’re winning the fight and then you get to the fifth
and basically all you’ve got to do is stay away from him in the
fifth and you’re winning the fight. Sometimes that strategy doesn’t
work out.”
Pereira, who was 2-0 against Adesanya in kickboxing before
Saturday’s victory, is open to the possibility of a rematch against
his rival.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to fight whoever,” Pereira said
through a translator. “They chose whoever I’m going to fight, and
if that’s the fight they’re going to do, I’m going to be
ready.”