Featured Image Credit: UFC/YouTube
Topics: Israel Adesanya, UFC
Nasir Jabbar
Alex Pereira has given an unexpected response to Israel Adesanya ruthlessly trolling his 12-year-old son at UFC 287.
'The Last Stylebender' regained the UFC middleweight title after destroying the Brazilian in the second round of their championship bout last weekend.
An emotionally charged Adesanya busted out Pereira's own arrow celebration while standing over his stricken body in one of the coldest moments in UFC history.
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He also took aim at his rival's son as he pointed him out before dropping to the floor - a nod to their 2017 kickboxing bout.
The youngster, aged five at the time, made the same gesture following Adesanya's knockout defeat to Pereira at Glory of Heroes 7.
Despite the newly-minted UFC king mocking his son, Pereira was relaxed about the incident, saying: "I don't know if I wouldn't do the same.
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"I can play with him, I've always played with him and teased him. It was something that happened. But I don't know, it's another child because I don't know what his feeling was."
'Poatan' added: "I don't know, it is seven years ago, he was enduring it and I saw his joy that he had after the knockout because this was his dream.
"That was his dream and he made it, but we're comparing him [his son] with a child who was five-years-old at the time, right? I don't have that mind."
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The Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter reflected on his controversial celebration in the Octagon as he called Pereira a great champion.
"I'm petty bro," he said during his post-fight press conference. "I remember the first time he knocked me out in Brazil his son came into the ring and started to get next to me.
"I'm like 'you f**king little a**hole, I'll whoop your a** if your dad won't do it for you.I looked for his kid and I pointed at him and I saw him. I was like 'hey, hey hey,' just to remind him."
Adesanya added: "I saw him [Pereira] backstage and we're cool.
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"He's a great champion, he's a warrior and his story - I mean that. I'm the antagonist in his story, he's a f**king beast coming from where he's come from and the adversity he's faced in his life to get to where he is."