Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, long-standing rivals, continue to cross paths with each other, seemingly unable to avoid encounters.
On Monday, both fighters took to their respective social media platforms, sharing videos from the same airport. Pereira's video captured a light-hearted moment as Adesanya playfully attempted to dodge the camera while accompanied by fellow UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. Adesanya's video, on the other hand, showed him walking ahead, with Pereira, his frequent opponent, a few steps behind him.
Check out the videos from both fighters below.
Guess who I met at the airport ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/c2xr4MAVUs
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) May 29, 2023
💘💘💘❤️🔥
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) May 29, 2023
My life is a video game 🎮 pic.twitter.com/MoIdUniTJv
Following two kickboxing matches, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira stepped into the UFC octagon for the middleweight title bout in the main event of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York this past November. In a remarkable turnaround, Pereira managed to halt Adesanya's dominance and secure a championship victory in the fifth round.
However, their paths would intersect once again just five months later. This time, Adesanya got his revenge by delivering a devastating knockout to Pereira in the second round, reclaiming his title in the process.
Looking ahead, Pereira is transitioning to the light heavyweight division and is scheduled to face former champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 in July. Meanwhile, Adesanya is anticipated to defend his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 293, which is set to take place in September and marks the promotion's return to Sydney, Australia.