Alex Pereira doesn’t buy Israel Adesanya’s hiatus talk: “He needs a bit more motivation”
Former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira believes Israel Adesanya is just lacking some motivation.
‘The Last Stylebender’ has been out of action since a title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Despite heading into the matchup a massive favorite, Israel Adesanya was dominated that night earlier this year. ‘Tarzan’ dropped the champion in round one, eventually winning by unanimous decision on the scorecards.
For Israel Adesanya, the loss was a sudden one, just months separated from his rematch with Alex Pereira. In the months since his title loss, the former champion has stated his plans to take a long hiatus. When later asked how long he’ll be gone, he stated that fans can expect him back by 2027.
However, his longtime rival doesn’t buy that talk. During a recent interview with MMA Fighting‘s Trocação Franca podcast, Alex Pereira was asked about Israel Adesanya’s comments. There, ‘Poatan’ opined that his former opponent won’t be out that long, he just needs a reason to return.
“I don’t think that’s true, he won’t stay [out] that long,” Alex Pereira stated when asked about Israel Adesanya’s hiatus. “And that’s not good for him, to not fight for that long. He’ll give other interviews soon and get motivated again. I think he needs a bit more motivation. If he finds something that motivates him, I think he comes back quickly. When he finds that motivation, he comes back sooner than that.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
He continued, “Since the beginning before they fought, I said it was going to be difficult for Strickland but he’s shown evolution to his game and it was a good matchup for him. Adesanya would have to change a few things to do better there. If he comes back the same way it will be like if they had continued that fight, another five rounds. He needs to make some adjustments, and maybe he can change, but it’s a difficult game for him. He does that game his entire life, and it’s very difficult to change that in one camp.”
What do you make of these comments from Alex Pereira? When do you think Israel Adesanya will fight next?
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Topics:
Alex Pereira Israel Adesanya UFC
