American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) head coach Javier Mendez warned Israel Adesanya about the power of Alex Pereira’s left hook.
Not that Adesanya needed reminding. In their second meeting back in 2017, Pereira knocked Adesanya out with that same punch.
UFC 281 will be the first time the rivals will square off under MMA rules. But Mendez thinks there’s no reason to believe both men won’t keep the fight standing, where they’re most comfortable. During an interview with Helen Yee and The Schmo, Mendez said:
“I think it’s gonna be more of a kickboxing match. I could be wrong. Israel could wanna take him to the ground because he has more experience there. He has been knocked out twice, I believe, or once. I know I’ve seen one with the left hook. This guy’s got an incredible left hook.”
Mendez added that upon watching their rematch, he had Adesanya winning before the KO punch. Nonetheless, the 52-year-old striking whiz thinks that Adesanya can’t afford to be too comfortable trading blows with the Brazilian:
“I watched the fight and I thought Israel was picking him apart until that left hook came, so he’s got enormous power. So obviously if the fight goes through on the stand-up and you’re winning and you’re outpointing this guy, don’t get carried away because that guy’s got that H-bomb behind him. That left hook has disgusting power on it.”
Watch Javier Mendez’s interview below:
“If there’s ever a fight I have to win, it’s this one” – Israel Adesanya on fighting Alex Pereira at UFC 281
Israel Adesanya has cleaned out the UFC middleweight division. But for obvious reasons, Adesanya feels like his upcoming title fight against Alex Pereira is the most important one for his legacy.
‘The Last Stylebender’ stressed how badly he wants to get his revenge on ‘Poatan.’ In a video he recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, the middleweight kingpin said:
“I was watching Claressa Shields and Floyd Mayweather talk on FaceTime when he fought Pacquiao. He said got up from the seat for every round. He always just thought like, ‘Forget every other fight. If there’s ever a fight I have to win, it’s this one. It’s this one. I feel that, felt that. That’s me right now. If there’s ever a fight, I have to win, it’s this one. That’s why everything is different this camp. There’s no excuses. If there’s ever a fight I have to win, it’s this one.”
Watch Israel Adesanya’s video below: