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UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira has revealed that he is planning on returning to the UFC in the next few months, while also naming two potential opponents.
Pereira stunned the combat sports world at UFC 281 when he defeated Israel Adesanya to capture the 185lbs strap. 'Poatan' looked to be heading for a unanimous decision loss on the scorecards before he rallied late in the fifth round to land heavy shots and TKO the Nigerian-New Zealander.
The Brazilian moved to 3-0 in their unofficial head-to-head as he already holds two kickboxing victories over 'The Last Stylebender', including a flush KO.
During UFC 283's media day, Alex Pereira spoke with ESPN MMA about his future. According to the Brazilian, he's planning on making his first title defense in a few months and expects the bout to either be a rematch versus Adesanya or against Robert Whittaker:
"I want to come back in April or May. I will be ready for those dates. There's nothing in the works now but I know it's probably going to be Izzy with the rematch or Robert Whittaker... No preference, Izzy or Robert, [I'm] going to be ready."
Catch Pereira's interview here:
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Robert Whittaker doesn't believe Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will immediately rematch
UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker has weighed in on whether or not Israel Adesanya will take an immediate title rematch against Alex Pereira.
Adesanya suffered his first loss at 185lbs when he was TKO'd by Alex Pereira at UFC 281. Prior to their bout, 'The Last Stylebender' had seemingly cleared out the division and any of its challengers, including Whittaker twice.
Despite Adesanya's dominance, 'The Reaper' has suggested it may be better for 'The Last Stylebender' to bide his time and wait for Pereira to defend the title against him first. Whittaker has only lost twice since 2014, both times to the Nigerian-New Zealander, and many believe he is also deserving of another crack at the belt.
In an interview with Fox News Australia, Whittaker explained:
"I can very well see Izzy [vs.] Pereira not happening. Izzy just letting me and Pereira punch on for a little bit. And then him sliding in to fight the winner, that makes perfect sense, you know? [Laughs] If you write it down. But it is a crazy world out there, it is a crazy time for the division. What the UFC has planned for March [and] April is anybody's guess at this point."
Catch the full interview here:
