UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira compared his career with that of middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Pereira said in an interview with Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana:
(Israel) Adesanya made several defenses [of the middleweight title]. I couldn't defend the middleweight belt. But there are things I did - I was a double champion. He tried [to win a second title] but didn't. I'm not worried about that because I think it doesn't matter what classification they give you. What matters is what you do and inspire people.
Pereira and Adesanya first met in the octagon in November 2022 at UFC 281. In this fight, which was stopped in the fifth round, Alex won by technical knockout.
Recall that on April 14, Pereira defeated Jamahal Hill by first-round knockout at UFC 300.
The second fight between Pereira and Adesanya took place in April 2023 at UFC 287. That fight, which was stopped in the second round, ended in favor of Adesanya by knockout. He has 24 wins and three losses on his record. Alex has 10 wins and two losses on his record.