Israel Adesanya’s coach wanted him to take a break before pursuing rematch with Alex Pereira.
Late last year, Adesanya lost his UFC middleweight title to longtime foe Pereira. Adesanya was stopped in the last round via TKO. After the loss, Adesanya was initially reluctant and cited medical concerns he’d like to take care of before returning to the cage. He even went so far to compare his medical situation with deceased Marvel star Chadwick Boseman.
But apparently this plan has been nixed and Adesanya’s rematch with Pereira is booked for April 9 in Miami.
According to his trainer Eugene Bareman, he would have benefited from having the rematch a bit later, in May or June.
Bareman explained on the MMA Hour:
“If I had a choice, which I quite often don’t, then I would probably have waited longer just to give Israel a little bit more time between a stoppage like that and the next ”
“Even in an ideal world I would have done what they do in boxing. I would have brought in a couple of guys for Israel to warm up on and then.”
According to Bareman, the surgery Adesanya had undergone wasn’t for gynecomastia as was anticipated in fall out from Pereira match. Instead he had ankle surgery.
The highly anticipated UFC 287 event is just around the corner, and fans of mixed martial arts are eagerly waiting for the rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya. Scheduled to take place on April 8, 2023, at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida, this event promises to be an action-packed extravaganza.
The co-main event will be featuring hometown heroes Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.