UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith believes Alex Pereira's middleweight tease could derive from a desire to "stick up" for Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya recently returned to action in the main event of UFC 305, a pay-per-view event staged at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The former two-time champ headlined alongside Dricus Du Plessis, competing for the South African's gold.
"The Last Stylebender" was unsuccessful in his bid for another reign, falling via rear-naked choke submission in the third round. By all accounts, a rematch with Sean Strickland looks the likeliest next task for the reigning titleholder.
But one man caused a stir with his Instagram post in the aftermath, as Pereira teased a possible return to the division he once ruled over to do battle with "Stillknocks."
Given that "Poatan" has previously dismissed talk of another drop to that weight and instead pondered a heavyweight venture, many were surprised by the post. One man who has long gone back and forth with the Brazilian, however, thinks he might know the reason behind it...
Smith: Pereira's 'Brotherhood' With Adesanya Motivating Possible Pursuit Of Du Plessis
During ESPN's UFC 305 Post Show this past weekend, the panel of Smith, Din Thomas, and Brett Okamoto reflected on the main event in Perth and looked ahead to what could be next for the champ and unsuccessful challenger.
In terms of the victorious South African, they made note of Pereira's social media tease. And although plenty have dismissed it as a playful post, "Lionheart" believes the reigning light heavyweight king could be serious.
In terms of the reasons why Pereira could go back on his word not to return to 185 pounds, Smith thinks the Brazilian could want to make Du Plessis pay for beating his longtime rival.
Part of me kind of believes he's a little bit serious. I don't think he's any bigger now than when he was at light heavyweight last time," Smith said. "I feel like there's a sense of Alex wanting to kind of stick up for Israel. They have this weird connection, this weird brotherhood, this unusual friendship. They're moulded together for the rest of their careers.
I feel like that's him (Pereira), 'Alright, you beat my friend, or someone that I have history with. So now I'm coming down and I'll take care of it.' That's kind of how it felt," Smith continued. "Almost like, 'We have this thing going on, but none of you can mess with us.' That's kind of how it was.
It remains to be seen whether the matchup will enter the realm of possibility anytime soon. Both Du Plessis and his coach have green lit a showdown with Pereira, but only if it provides the South African with the opportunity to achieve two-division glory himself.