Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya said that the fighters of the division should be grateful to him that his victory over Alex Pereira forced the Brazilian to change his weight class.
As a reminder, Pereira will fight Jiri Prochazka for the vacant middleweight championship belt at UFC 295 on November 12 in New York, USA.
Adesanya said on his Youtube channel:
These middleweights can get on their f****** knees and thank me 'cause I got this man out of there. If not, you would have to deal with him over and over and over again, all of you. I doubt any of you would want to f****** fight this guy. I did four times but I got it done just with one.
Pereira, 36, last fought in July 2023 at UFC 291, defeating Jan Blachowicz by split decision. He has eight wins and two losses on his record.
Prochazka, 31, last stepped into the octagon in June 2022 at UFC 275, defeating Glover Teixeira via fifth-round choke. He has 29 wins, three losses and one draw on his record.