Adesanya and Pereira had a well-documented rivalry in martial arts. After a few kickboxing matches, “Poatan” Adesanya retired to capture the UFC Middleweight Championship. The win put Pereira at 3-0 against Adesanya, who responded by knocking out Pereira to regain the 185-pound gold.
As we enter 2026, neither man plans to fight the other again. Both Adesanya and Pereira have been on friendly terms in recent times. During a speaking session on Bangta Muy Thai Tham and MMAAdesanya wished Pereira luck for the rest of his MMA career (h/t MMAfighting).
“For me it was never really about him, it was always about me,” Adesanya said. “I knew that technically I’m the only one who hurt this man multiple times. I knew I could always touch him.”
“I’m so proud of what he’s doing now – now a two-time light heavyweight champion. He’s now back at the top and about to fight [Jon] Jones in the White House. I hope he never loses [again].”
Adesanya then reflected on how she could finally defeat Pereira and do so in spectacular fashion to end their feud.
“I hope he retires undefeated [moving forward] because I always knew it wasn’t about other people, it was about me. Because after he beat me at Madison Square Garden, people were like, ‘Oh, he’ll never want to fight him again.’ But I was like, ‘Yo, Dana, bring that shit back. I need that. ”
What’s next for Pereira is unknown at this time, although rumors have surfaced. As for Adesanya, he recently hinted that he would approach his fights with a fresh perspective as he is no longer concerned with chasing titles at this point in his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
BJPenn.com will keep you updated on what’s next for Adesanya and Pereira.
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