Lakers versus Celtics. Yankees versus Red Sox. Federer versus Nadal versus Djokovic.
Nowhere do rivalries flourish and resonate more than in combat sports, where the icons of each generation have one, two or maybe even three names to which they are forever tied through a classic battle or a series of battles spread over a handful of years.
Ali Frazier. Tyson-Holyfield. Gatti-Ward.
Order UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira today!
Even if you’re not a boxing fan, you know a little about those battles – what they meant back then, what happened, and why they still weigh heavily all these years later.
The UFC has hosted a handful of quality rivalries over the years – Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell; BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre; Michael Bisping and every single person who has ever signed up to fight him; Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.
This weekend, a rivalry that began in the kickboxing ring finally moves to the Octagon, as Alex Pereira takes on Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 281 on Saturday night at Madison. SquareGarden.
“It’s the fight everyone wanted to see, and now they got the fight,” Pereira said Tuesday, two days from the anniversary of his UFC debut and four days from challenging Adesanya for the fight. championship gold. “Saturday is just the time to go out there, do my thing and get the belt.”
# # #