Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya face off again this Saturday at UFC 287, the culmination of a grudge that stretches back to long before either man first stepped into the octagon.
Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 287 Timeline video for an in-depth look at the heated rivalry.
“Poatan” shocked the world last November at UFC 281 when he rallied in the fifth round to put Adesanya away with strikes and claim the UFC middleweight championship in just his eighth pro MMA bout. That was just the continuation of a years-long rivalry though as Pereira had previously defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing, raising questions as to whether the two-division Glory titleholder simply has Adesanya’s number.
Prior to losing to Pereira, Adesanya put together a run at 185 pounds that had him climbing the ranks of the all-time greats. Will finally vanquishing his nemesis allow him to extend that run or is history doomed to repeat itself for “The Last Stylebender?”