WATCH | Israel Adesanya’s live reaction to Alex Pereira finishing Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307

UFC stars Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have a complicated history, but that didn’t stop Adesanya from being a supporter last weekend.

On Saturday, Pereira successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. In front of a raucous crowd in Salt Lake City, Pereira put on another signature performance and battered Rountree en route to a late TKO victory.

Pereira has become one of the UFC’s biggest superstars during his remarkable run inside the Octagon. He came the fastest to earn UFC titles at multiple weight classes before Adesanya dethroned him at middleweight at UFC 287.

While Adesanya and Pereira aren’t the closest friends, they’ve gained a newfound respect for one another after their kickboxing/MMA fight series. As Pereira sealed the deal against Rountree, Adesanya was a vocal supporter of his former rival.

Israel Adesanya throws lofty support at former rival Alex Pereira

Watch Adesanya’s live reaction to Pereira’s latest triumphant performance below.

After defeating Rountree, Pereira will likely face the Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakić winner for his next title defense. Ankalaev and Rakić will clash at UFC 308 later this month in Abu Dhabi.

Adesanya’s bid for a third UFC middleweight title reign came up short at UFC 305. He lost to Dricus du Plessis by fourth-round submission in Perth and has lost consecutive fights for the first time in his MMA career.

Two Glory Kickboxing bouts preceded Pereira’s TKO win over Adesanya for the UFC middleweight belt at UFC 281. In their UFC 287 rematch, Adesanya got the last laugh, knocking out Pereira in one of the greatest finishes in modern UFC history.

Despite their previous bad blood, Adesanya successfully predicted Pereira to knock out Rountree at UFC 307. But, it was a more difficult proposition than most projected, as Rountree nearly dethroned Pereira in the early rounds.