Israel Adesanya is mindful of the stakes in his upcoming fight at UFC 287 with his arch rival Alex Pereira. Adesanya lost the fight via TKO in the fifth round, giving up the UFC middleweight title and suffering his first defeat in the middleweight division despite appearing to be ahead on the judges’ scorecards.Since that time, Israel Adesanya has been waiting to exact revenge for his defeat by Alex Pereira and is working tirelessly to get ready for his fight with “Poatan.” He is conscious that this might be his last opportunity to retake the middleweight title, though.
In a recent video posted to his YouTube account, Israel Adesnaya discussed his approach to his UFC 287 matchup against Pereira. He said the following:
“I like it because it places the entire burden on me and because it’s somewhat poetic. Roll the coins with one life. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got because this is my last chance.
Israel Adesanya believes he can beat Alex Pereira at UFC 287
One of the most legendary battles in combat sports history has been between The Last Stylebender and Alex Pereira. Before Adesanya chose to switch to MMA, the Brazilian won both of their encounters between the two during their kickboxing days.
Israel Adesanya went on to win the middleweight title in the UFC, but ‘Poatan’ tracked him down there and defeated him once more. Despite losing three times to Alex Pereira, “The Last Stylebender” is confident in his ability to defeat the Brazilian.
Before UFC 284 last month, Adesanya gave the following media interview about his impending opponent:
“I’ve never lacked motivation to take on this opponent, but this time I’ve placed pressure on myself. I have to defeat this man, regardless of the belt or anything else. My goal, I suppose, is to simply defeat him. They can claim whatever they want, as I previously stated. It’s 1-0 or 3-0. I don’t maintain score; I just settle them. I just need to take care of one, and I will.