- Daniel Cormier weighed in on Israel Adesanya’s seemingly abrupt decision to rematch Alex Pereira
- DC shared his bold speculation that it could be because of Jamahal Hill
Daniel Cormier reckoned that Israel Adesanya rightfully deserves a rematch with Alex Pereira. But on the other hand, “DC” thinks Izzy felt the pressure to do it sooner rather than later because of the emergence of Jamahal Hill.
Izzy deserved it
According to Cormier, he never doubted Adesanya’s right to rematch Pereira. In fact, he is certain “The Last Stylebender” is the most deserving of them all. And even though there has been a handful of challengers calling out Pereira, Cormier thinks Adesanya is still the best matchup for the reigning middleweight champion.
“Two factors: Why is it happening now? And for what reason is it happening? One: Obviously we all knew that it was Israel Adesanya’s decision or discretion whether or not he would get a championship fight from the moment he lost I was saying and screaming from the rooftops, if anyone deserves an immediate rematch, it’s Israel Adesanya. Because of what he had done in the middleweight division, and honestly what he had done to start his UFC and mixed martial arts career,” Cormier explained. “… And honestly, for Alex Pereira, it would seem to be the best matchup for him in terms of a first title defense.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeuGkmsqyvc
But why now?
As much as he wanted to see Pereira vs. Adesanya 2, Cormier “questioned” Izzy for immediately agreeing to rematch “Poatan” when it’s not really the fight everybody was talking about. Cormier has a feeling that Adesanya may have been pressured to lose his shot at Pereira because a new storyline with Hill appears to be gaining traction.
“Maybe he’s worried that if Pereira fights someone else, he loses,” Cormier speculated. “Izzy still holds a ton of cards but I just questioned whether or not the decisions being made are based on, or the timing of the decision is based on this newfound push that Alex has been experiencing because of Jamahal being the champion and beating his mentor and training partner in Glover Teixeira. It just didn’t feel like this was in the works before.”
Hill’s interest in fighting Pereira has been there prior to his title fight win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. And now that Hill is the new light heavyweight champion, Pereira also expressed his desire to face “Sweet Dreams.” However, Hill said his priority right now is a title defense fight with Jiri Prochazka.
Adesanya, meanwhile, has made it clear that he likes how his rivalry with Pereira has been going and is keen on avenging all his three defeats to the Brazilian.
UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 is set to take place on April 8, 2023, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
