Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya (Image Credits: Imagn Images)

Israel Adesanya Claims He Saved Middleweight Division From Alex Pereira’s 'Monster' Reign With Bold Statement

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Pavan Sharma | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 4:16 AM ET

Alex Pereira has praised Israel Adesanya multiple times on social media for whatever he’s done for the division. Meanwhile, Adesanya has also squashed the beef from his side and praised Pereira for becoming a two-division champion. While Pereira recently revisited his brutal loss against Adesanya, the latter also praised the Brazilian fighter with a bold claim.

‘The Last Stylebender’ believes he played a major role in stopping the Brazilian fighter from dominating the middleweight division. ‘Izzy’ said Pereira was running through opponents with ease before they fought, and without him stepping in, things could’ve looked very different for the rest of the division. In a recent interview with Full Send MMA, the 36-year-old said (video here; warning: viewer discretion advised):

“All the fights Alex had before he fought me were easy wins ’cause he’s just a monster. I said the middleweights should thank me – they don’t have to, ’cause I was talking s---, but yeah, if not for me, he’d be terrorizing this whole division, and they wouldn’t have a chance against this motherf-----."

The Pereira vs. Adesanya rivalry is one of the greatest in UFC history. But both had multiple trash-talk sessions, though now the beef has ended, and fans might see both UFC stars training together, as both have previously shown interest in it. Meanwhile, ‘Izzy’ is fighting this weekend against Joe Pyfer, aiming to get back into the winning column.

Israel Adesanya Not Worried About Losing Streak Ahead of Return

Israel Adesanya is on a three-fight losing streak now. But now he’s finally coming back after a brutal loss against Nassourdine Imavov. But the former middleweight champ says he isn’t concerned with his losing streak, as performance is his main focus. In a recent interview with UFC on Paramount, ‘Izzy’ said:

“I’m very determined, not about the losing skid, it’s just to perform. I really wanna perform ’cause when I perform, wins come, gold comes. My main focus this weekend is just to perform.”

Israel Adesanya says he isn’t concerned with his losing streak, as performance is his main focus.

"I'm very determined, not about the losing skid, it's just to perform. I really wanna perform 'cause when I perform, wins come, gold comes. My main focus this weekend is just to… pic.twitter.com/FvarmE1V4T
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) March 25, 2026

‘The Last Stylebender’ explained that wins and titles come naturally when he performs at his best, so that’s where his mindset is right now. For Adesanya, it’s all about getting back to his rhythm inside the cage rather than worrying about past results. Fans are eager to see him in the winning column now.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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