Israel Adesanya has no issue with Alex Pereira, but when it comes to Pereira’s fans, that’s a different story.
On Saturday, Adesanya will return to the Octagon for the first time in nearly a year when he meets reigning middleweight world champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth. If Adesanya manages to climb his way back into the win column, he will make history as the promotion’s first-ever three-time titleholder at 185.
After dominating the division for some time, Adesanya finds himself having lost two of his last three, including a brutal fifth-round knockout against Pereira, the promotion’s reigning light heavyweight king.