Etched in the history books as major rivals, Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya may be turning over a new leaf.
At Saturday’s UFC 312 in Sydney, the two fighters were seated next to one another. Not only did they appear to tolerate each other’s presence, they seemed to enjoy it.
Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) posted a selfie video of himself and Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) from cageside. Each fighter played up grilling the camera. Additionally, photos of the two fighters were captured, including one where they both cracked smiles.
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira linked up at #UFC312 🗿🤝
(via alexpoatanpereira/IG) pic.twitter.com/n4X4DT6X1Q
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 9, 2025
🫨 CHAMA?! #UFC312@stylebender y @AlexPereiraUFC pic.twitter.com/QYvyfUuU2V
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) February 9, 2025
Pereira and Adesanya have competed against each other four times: twice in kickboxing and twice in MMA. Pereira went 2-0 against Adesanya in kickboxing, but the two fighters split results in MMA.
With Pereira currently holding the light heavyweight title and Adesanya still competing at middleweight, a lot would have to align for the two to face off in an MMA trilogy bout. But this is MMA, and crazier things have happened.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
