(Video) UFC foes Adesanya and Alex Pereira hilariously bump into each other at an airport

UFC rivals Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira recently had an unexpected and humorous encounter at an Australian airport.

In the past six months, Adesanya and Pereira faced each other twice in the Octagon. During UFC 281 in November, Pereira emerged victorious with a TKO. He went on to claim the Middleweight title.

However, Adesanya sought redemption at UFC 287 just last month. In a second-round knockout, Adesanya won the title and solidified his position as the current middleweight champion.

Despite their professional rivalry, Adesanya and Pereira crossed paths at the airport and shared the experience through videos on their social media channels. The two have shown that there is no enmity between them in a polite exchange at the airport, despite their back and forth on social media.

Pereira posted a video with the caption, “Guess who I met at the airport.” In the clip Pereira can be seen talking to the camera before revealing Adesanya, who playfully covers his face.

Both combatants share a lighthearted moment, exchanging a fist bump and showcasing a glimpse of friendship amidst their intense rivalry.

Adesanya also posted a video with the caption: “My life is a video game.” He shows Pereira while walking in a queue, accompanied by dramatic music. Adesanya raises the camera to look behind him and he zooms in on Pereira, who is slightly further down the queue.

The rivalry between Adesanya and Pereira extends beyond their MMA careers. Pereira twice defeated Adesanya twice in professional kickboxing, with their first match taking place in 2016.

The intense competition led to tensions spilling over, and Adesanya’s actions after the UFC 287 match drew significant attention. In the aftermath of knocking out Pereira, Adesanya mocked Pereira’s 12-year-old son Alessandro.

Young Alessandro had previously imitated Adesanya getting knocked after Pereira defeated Adesanya in their 2017 bout.

Adesanya addressed the criticism and explained on his YouTube channel that he intended to confront Pereira’s son. He stated: “I was just like, ‘Where is he? I’m going to find him. And I see his kid then his sister, I think, was holding them. She was holding them because they were crying. So I was just like, ‘bang.'”

“He’s only a kid… I’m like, ‘And the f*** what?” If I had a son and he came to the cage after 287 and then start to do that next to Pereira, I’d be like, ‘What the f*** are you doing? Come here. Apologise. Apologise to that man.'”

Adesanya continued: “Guy knocked me out in his home country and then you see your kid doing that and you don’t have the discipline to scold him and then again before 281, you’re in your car and you’re like, ‘Look what my son did.'”

“If you’re not going to teach your kids manners and respect, I will. I did him a favor. I did that kid a favor.”

At UFC 291 in July, Pereira will move up to the light heavyweight class to take on former champion Jan Blachowitz. Adesanya is scheduled to defend his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 293 in September.