Israel Adesanya welcomes ‘kill or be killed’ pressure of UFC 287 middleweight title rematch against Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya will return to the UFC octagon this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Israel Adesanya appreciates the pressure of the moment.

For three years, he was the man at the front of the pack being hunted by the rest of the UFC middleweight division. But after losing his middleweight championship against Alex Pereira late in 2022, Adesanya goes on the hunt this weekend.

Adesanya and Pereira will meet again inside the UFC octagon on Sunday afternoon in the main event of UFC 287 in Miami, with Adesanya getting an immediate rematch against the man who took his throne.

It’s a situation that brings plenty of pressure with it. On top of being a title fight in the world’s top mixed martial arts promotion, Adesanya meets an opponent who stopped him last time out and one who he hasn’t been able to come out on top against in three meetings – two of those in kickboxing.

On top of that, Adesanya is adding to his expectations of himself by going in with the mindset that this will be his last shot at getting the better of his Brazilian counterpart.

“The way everyone else feels pressure is not the way I feel pressure. I deal with it differently because I’m built for this,” Adesanya told the Herald.

“God didn’t give me this life by accident; he didn’t give me this path by accident. He gave me this path because he knows I can handle it, he knows I can thrive through it – not survive, thrive through it. So, I welcome it and I don’t shy away from it.

“That’s why I’ve put it on myself, that’s why I’ve said this is my last shot. I know I’ll get another shot whenever I want to but f*** all that, this is my last shot. I want my back against the wall, I want do or die, kill or be killed. That’s how I thrive.”

When they met at Madison Square Garden in November last year, Adesanya had a lot of success; having Pereira on wobbly legs before the bell ended the first round, controlling the Brazilian on the ground and getting the better of a lot of the striking exchanges. He was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards three rounds to one heading into the fifth round.

However, Pereira is a smart striker and not one to miss his opportunities. Throughout the fight, Pereira worked the legs of Adesanya and ultimately slowed the then-champion down when he checked a leg kick which impacted Adesanya’s peroneal nerve. With his opponent’s movement compromised, Pereira was able to back Adesanya against the cage and catch him with a heavy shot, before forcing the referee’s hand with a barrage of strikes.

Reflecting on how that fight played out ahead of this weekend’s rematch, Adesanya said he knew the threats on the other side of the cage and that being perfect was an added challenge to the matchup.

“10 times out of 10 I have to be perfect. That’s what I aim to be; perfect in this fight, focused, and I just want to juxtapose things very well,” Adesanya said.

“He does a lot of things well. His rhythm and off-beats, how he sneaks up on you with his footwork to get close, but I know I’ve got better footwork, I know how to manoeuvre around him and catch him when he’s not expecting it. Stay tuned.”