Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand commented on his bullying of the son of Brazilian Alex Pereira.
Adesanya and Pereira last met in the Octagon on April 9 at UFC 287. Israel won that fight by knockout in the second round. After the victory, Adesanya pretended to be knocked out in front of Pereira's son, thus avenging him for a similar gesture the boy had made seven years earlier.
Israel Adesanya, quoted by MMA News
I don't react, I respond. 'He's only a kid,' and the f*ck what? If I had a son and he started to do that next to Pereira, I'd be like, 'What the f*ck are you doing? Apologize.' And then again before 281. You're in your car like, 'Look what my son did, ha, ha, ha.' You're making fun of one of the moments in my life that I'm not so proud of. If you're not gonna teach your kids manners and respect, I will. So I did him a favor.
The first fight between Adesanya and Pereira took place in November 2022 at UFC 281. That fight ended in a fifth-round TKO loss to Israel. He has 24 wins and two losses under his belt. Alex has seven wins and two losses under his belt.
