Joe Rogan speaks during weigh-ins for UFC 200 at T-Mobile Arena on July 8, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Joe Rogan’s Shocking Theory on Alex Pereira Dodging trilogy against Israel Adesanya
Joe Rogan recently offered an intriguing explanation for Alex Pereira’s surprising decision to avoid a trilogy fight against Israel Adesanya in the UFC. Pereira and Adesanya have a long-standing rivalry stemming from their kickboxing days, with Pereira consistently emerging victorious. However, Adesanya’s rise to becoming the UFC Middleweight Champion caught Pereira’s attention.
When Adesanya dismissed Pereira as irrelevant in an interview, Pereira saw it as an opportunity to teach his former rival a lesson. Making his UFC debut in 2021, Pereira quickly claimed the title of the UFC Middleweight Champion from Adesanya.
In their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 287, Pereira and Adesanya engaged in an intense battle. However, Adesanya landed a well-timed blow in the second round, knocking Pereira down. Joe Rogan, the renowned commentator, described the punch as flawless. Rogan’s speculation behind Pereira’s reluctance to pursue a trilogy fight with Adesanya revolves around concerns about Pereira’s ability to withstand punches, hinting at a potential vulnerability in his chin.
According to Joe Rogan:
“I don’t think Pereira really wants to make 85 anymore. It’s absolutely brutal…A lot of people are speculating that he doesn’t take a punch that well because he cuts weight.”
Israel Adesanya’s remarkable performance against Alex Pereira at UFC 287 on April 8 continues to leave UFC fans in awe. Despite a momentary setback in the second round where Pereira appeared to have Adesanya hurt, the middleweight champion made an astonishing comeback, securing victory through a knockout. The win was so impressive that even UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier believes it to be the knockout of the year thus far.
Adesanya’s triumph over Pereira, combined with his controversial taunting of Pereira’s child after the fight, left spectators eager to witness a rematch between the two fighters. However, Pereira surprised everyone by announcing his decision to move up to the light heavyweight division. He is now set to challenge Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291, with the possibility of the winner earning a shot at the light heavyweight title.
Meanwhile, the UFC has made significant moves in the middleweight division. Robert Whittaker is scheduled to face Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 on July 8, and the victor of that bout will be granted the opportunity to contend for the middleweight title. However, it appears that Adesanya may also be competing at UFC 293 on September 10. It remains uncertain whether Whittaker or Du Plessis would be available for a quick turnaround to face Adesanya in that event.
While fans will have to wait for a potential trilogy fight between Adesanya and Pereira, UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski believes that the UFC has a strategic plan in place to arrange the bout in the future. During an interview with the MMA Fan Podcast with Stu and Blake, Volkanovski expressed his belief that a third encounter between his friend Adesanya and Pereira could occur, potentially in the light heavyweight division if Pereira becomes the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion:
“…I think it will happen. I think it’s just not something that’s going to happen right away. Obviously, three fights back to back isn’t always good. Like we’ve seen it before, but you don’t really want them like that, so for them to agree, if he(Pereira) wants to go up, say, win the light heavyweight title, and then they fight for like champ-champ. Like, obviously the fight could be massive. Whether that’s what the UFC is planning on doing, I don’t know. I do think that would be pretty clever.”
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