NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 11: Alex Pereira of Brazil walks to the octagon to face Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sarah Stier / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Alex Pereira calls out Israel Adesanya in light heavyweight summons
New UFC Light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira said: “I want to make this fight happen. Adesanya, come to daddy.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 11: Alex Pereira of Brazil walks to the octagon to face Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sarah Stier / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Alex Pereira used his post-fight interview after winning the UFC light heavyweight title to call out great rival Israel Adesanya.
Pereira and Adesanya have met twice with the former securing the first win by TKO in the fifth round of their UFC 281 meeting.
The history between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya
Adesanya came back though and would defeat Pereira in a UFC Middleweight title bout earlier this year.
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After winning that title back Adesanya set his sights on taking on Dricus du Plessis over perceived disrespect from the South African towards the Nigerian-born kickboxer.
However, Adesanya wouldn’t get that fight instead seeing Sean Strickland take the title off of him in a disappointing Sydney bout.
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Pereira meanwhile had shifted his focus to the light heavyweight division defeating Jan Błachowicz in his debut before being handed a title bout with Jiří Procházka.
The fast-tracking of Pereira has raised eyebrows and further questions about the structure of the UFC as a sports promotion.
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That said Pereira was able to win the title fight, albeit by a stoppage that has divided MMA fans and pundits.
Pereira had brought Procházka to his knees with leg kicks and unleashed a barrage of strikes which saw the referee stop the bout.
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Controversy is raging though as Procházka was soon back on his feet.
However, Pereira believes the stoppage was valid.
“I’m not surprised,” Pereira said afterwards. “After the first left hook and another one, he fell down to my legs. I don’t believe it was a bad stoppage. It’s a great honor for me.”
Procházka appeared to concede that the call was correct after the bout.
The call out
Jamahal Hill is considered the strongest contender in the light-heavyweight division but Pereira wants Adesanya to come up to the division for the third installment in their rivalry.
“I’m not the type of guy to call people out but there’s a guy that back in the day [who] did some interviews and said I was a guy who was just going to stay in the bar,” Pereira said. “That motivated me. He rescued me from a bar to be here today. This guy said he just wants to come back and fight in 2027. I think he’s a very talented guy. It’s a waste of talent so I want to rescue him too, to come here and fight.
“I know that I’m not going to do what he did to me to and make me fight three times to fight him at middleweight. I know it’s a guy we have a lot of history.
He added: “I want to make this fight happen. Adesanya, come to daddy.”
