Alex Pereira sees Israel Adesanya trilogy happening at middleweight, not light heavyweight

SALT LAKE CITY – Alex Pereira has unfinished business with Israel Adesanya – at middleweight.

Pereira made good in his light heavyweight debut when he edged out Jan Blachowicz in this past Saturday’s UFC 291 co-main event. He expects to be fighting for the vacant 205-pound title next.

“Poatan” is 1-1 with middleweight champion Adesanya, who evened the score by knocking him out at UFC 287 in April. When asked if the rubber match would take place at Pereira’s new weight class, the former champion said he plans on dropping back down to middleweight to complete his trilogy with Adesanya.

“Before my last fight happened, when I made weight, I told the guys that for now I was going to be taking a break from the weight class,” Pereira told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at the UFC 291 post-fight news conference. “It was getting hard a little bit – too many cuts in a short span of time. So I went up to light heavyweight now.

“I want to do one more fight at light heavyweight, take some time from all those cuts, and then I actually want to fight in the lower weight class again – middleweight. In my mind, we are 1-1 at middleweight. I won one at middleweight, Israel won the other one, so nothing more fair than making the trilogy at middleweight.”

Although making 185 pounds wasn’t easy for Pereira, “Poatan” insists middleweight is still part of his plans.

“I feel good,” Pereira said. “I feel energized, recharged compared to the last other few weight cuts. This one was only 20 to 30 percent compared to the other ones. But like I said, I just need a little break to rest a little bit and I’m going to do some unfinished business at middleweight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.