Alex Pereira says he is willing to train with longtime rival Israel Adesanya in the future: “This is not personal”

Alex Pereira has confirmed that he would be interested in training with his longtime rival Israel Adesanya in the future.

Right now, Alex Pereira is on top of the world. He’s the UFC light heavyweight champion, just months after he previously held the middleweight title. As we know, of course, the man who took that belt from him is none other than Israel Adesanya. The two men have fought four times across kickboxing and mixed martial arts and to this point, Pereira holds a 3-1 lead. Despite that, he’s made it clear that he’s hungry to run it back at some point – perhaps at 205 pounds.

Adesanya appears to be taking some time off following his defeat against Sean Strickland. For ‘Poatan’, he seems to be constantly preparing for the next challenge that lies ahead, as ‘Stylebender’ so often does.

RELATED: ALEX PEREIRA REACTS TO ISRAEL ADESANYA’S “NOT VERY RESPECTFUL” RESPONSE TO HIS CALLOUT AT UFC 295

In a recent tweet, the Brazilian revealed that he’d be interested in training with Israel.

Alex Pereira is open to training with Israel Adesanya. #UFC pic.twitter.com/xmKu9aF0QP

— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) November 30, 2023

Pereira open to Adesanya collaboration

“This is not personal with Israel Adesanya, I would even train with him in the future, but Adesanya gotta watch this video so he will never underestimate someone’s potential again! P.S: Poatan – “2 Division Champion”

Alex Pereira usually holds his cards pretty close to his chest. Alas, when you have a rivalry like this, we imagine it’s pretty hard to do so. While there’s a clear respect between these two men, there’s also a level of competitiveness that we can’t imagine will go away anytime soon.

Are you interested in the idea of Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya training with one another? If they do compete against each other again, who would you favor to secure the victory? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!