Israel Adesanya respects his long-time rival Alex Pereira.
Pereira’s fans, on the other hand, not so much. Or as ‘The Last Stylebender’ likes to call them — “Poatards.”
Adesanya’s iconic rivalry with the reigning UFC light heavyweight world champion started all the way back in 2016 under the GLORY Kickboxing banner. There, Pereira scored back-to-back wins over Adesanya — one, a questionable unanimous decision and the other, an absolutely brutal third-round KO.
They picked up right where they left off inside the Octagon, with ‘Poatan’ finishing Adesanya in the fifth round of their UFC 281 headliner to claim the 185-pound crown.
Looking back on their legendary scraps during a recent appearance on Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel, Adesanya couldn’t help but vent his frustration over “casual” MMA fans who continue to ignore the success he had against Pereira despite holding a 1-3 record against the Brazilian.
“People, they’re so f*cking stupid,” Adesanya said. “In this first fight in China, I thought I’d won. These casuals don’t. These plebs don’t. I thought I won. He thought he had won, too, until he raised his hand. The second time, I’m beating his ass and he gets me. Again…
