Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is looking forward to his main event fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 281.
‘The Last Stylebender’ recently revealed why the fight against the Brazilian excites him so much more than most of his previous divisional matches.
Since joining the UFC nearly five years ago, the Nigerian has dominated the 185-pound division. However, the former kickboxer has recently come under fire for his safe performances. Adesanya, on the other hand, is expecting fireworks in his next fight against his nemesis Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira.
While speaking with Jake Paul about his upcoming title clash, Israel Adesanya was oozing with confidence. He claimed that he knew he was going to ‘waste’ his past opponents, and the fight against Alex Pereira will be no different.
“No matter what you do in life, there’s always the element of fear, and a lot of people fold under that pressure, and this for me, this is why I thrive… The last few fights for me, I knew I was going to sass these guys, I knew I was gonna waste them,” Adesanya said.
“He’s (Alex Pereira) not gonna try and survive, he’s gonna try and come forward and take me out. That’s what excites me, that’s what I thrive in. I need that pressure, especially under the big lights, MSG, the whole world watching.”
As champion, Adesanya has a target on his back. A handful of fighters are all making their case to fight the champion for his throne. Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, two men he previously beat, are scheduled to battle it out in February next year at UFC 284. The winner will potentially get a shot at Adesanya’s title.
Aside from holding two kickboxing wins over the reigning middleweight champion, Alex Pereira has shown on multiple occasions that he is a fearsome striker.
Not only does he have devastating power, ‘Poatan’ has a great sense of range and sets traps for his opponents. Alongside that, he is capable of taking damage as seen in his clash against fellow countryman Bruno Silva.
While Adesanya is still arguably the greatest striker in the sport, he cannot afford to be complacent on November 12.