Israel Adesanya is aware of what’s at stake in his upcoming matchup against Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
‘The Last Stylebender’ entered the octagon back in November last year against his arch nemisis. Despite seemingly being ahead on the judges’ scorecards, Adesanya ended up suffering a TKO loss in the fifth round of the fight and lost his UFC middleweight championship, suffering his first loss in the middleweight division.
Israel Adesanya has been waiting to avenge his loss to Alex Pereira since then and is leaving no stone unturned in order to prepare for his rematch against ‘Poatan’. However, he is aware that this might be his last shot at reclaiming the middleweight throne.
Speaking about his mindset going into his UFC 287 bout against Pereira, Israel Adesnaya had this to say in a recently uploaded video on his YouTube channel:
“I like it because it puts it all on me, and it’s kind of poetic in a way. One life, roll the dice. This is my last shot, and I’m going to give it all I’ve got in every sense of the word.”
Watch the video below:
Israel Adesanya believes he can beat Alex Pereira at UFC 287
‘The Last Stylebender’ and Alex Pereira have had one of the most storied rivalries the world of combat sports has ever seen. The two faced each other twice during their kickboxing days and the Brazilian came out victorious both times before Adesanya decided to jump over to MMA.
While Israel Adesanya went on to become the UFC middleweight champion, ‘Poatan’ came hunting him down to the UFC and got the better of him yet again. Despite suffering three losses at the hands of Alex Pereira, ‘The Last Stylebender’ believes he has what it takes to beat the Brazilian.
Speaking to the media ahead of UFC 284 last month, Adesanya said this about his upcoming matchup:
“I’ve never not been motivated to fight this guy, but for this one, I’ve put the pressure on myself. F**k the belt, f**k everything else, I have to beat this guy. That’s, I guess, my motivation – just beating him. Like I said, they can say whatever they want. It’s 1-0 or 3-0. I don’t keep score, I settle them and I just need one and I’m going to get it done.”
Watch the video below: