Adesanya's 2020 Sporting News Dismissal of Pereira

On March 3, 2020, Sporting News Australia published a video in which Israel Adesanya discussed various opponents and, according to ESPN's later reporting, dismissed Alex Pereira with the line: "No one knows who the f--- he is, and he's going to be that guy when I'm world champion and when I'm a legend, he's going to be at some pub talking s--- about 'I beat that guy one time.'" The remark was captured in broader profiles and previews of the later UFC meetings and was explicitly cited by Alex Pereira as a motivating factor in his decision to pursue MMA and a future fight with Adesanya [1]. Setup and context: By March 2020 Adesanya had established himself in the UFC middleweight division while Pereira was transitioning from a kickboxing career into mixed martial arts. Adesanya's comment appeared in a media clip not primarily focused on Pereira but gained salience when Pereira began referencing the line during campaign and promotional phases leading to their UFC bouts [1]. Immediate reactions: The line was later highlighted in pre-fight coverage and used to frame Pereira's psychological narrative. ESPN and other outlets linked the March 3, 2020 quote to Pereira's stated motivation during buildup to UFC 281, making the Sporting News remark a documented provocation in the public record of the rivalry [1].

Adesanya's March 3, 2020 remark matters because it provided a specific, attributable provocation that Pereira repeatedly cited as motivation to pursue MMA and a matchup in the UFC [1]. The quote transformed what had been a competitive ledger into a personal narrative: Pereira used the dismissal to validate his transition and to motivate a title pursuit, while media narratives used the line to frame the UFC meetings as payback-driven encounters [1].

Following the public circulation of Adesanya's comment, Pereira referenced the line in later interviews and build-up to their UFC fight at UFC 281; Pereira said he "never forgot" Adesanya's words and used them as incentive to climb into the UFC and challenge for the title [1]. The March 3, 2020 quote therefore became a recurring citation during promotional cycles leading to the November 12, 2022 UFC 281 fight and the April 8, 2023 rematch [1][4].