UFC middleweight champion Brazilian Alex Pereira said he made the decision to move to MMA from kickboxing after watching an interview with New Zealander Israel Adesanya.
When Israel Adesanya moved to the UFC, I started watching it more closely because the MMA fights sparked my interest. There's one interview with Israel Adesanya that motivated me a lot.
Alex Pereira on UFC Countdown
Pereira will fight a rematch against Adesanya on the night of April 9 at UFC 287. The two fighters first fought in November 2022 at UFC 281. Alex won by TKO in the fifth round and became the UFC middleweight champion.
In July of 2022, Pereira was in the Octagon against Sean Strickland at UFC 276. Alex won that fight by knockout in the first round. On his account he has seven wins and one loss. Adesanya has 23 wins and two losses.