UFC: Israel Adesanya seeks revenge on the biggest stage against hated rival Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira face off during the UFC 281 press conference at Madison Square Garden. Photo / Getty

By Christopher Reive in New York

When the octagon door closes behind UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 on Sunday, there will be no love lost between he and title challenger Alex Pereira.

The bout, which headlines a stacked card at Madison Square Garden, has captured the attention of mixed martial arts fans worldwide, given the well-documented history between the two in a different arena.

In kickboxing, the pair fought twice with Pereira posting a 2-0 record against Adesanya including a highlight-reel knockout in the second in 2017.

Five years on, the two are set to face off again and although it is in a different arena and under a different set of rules, Adesanya said there was no change in how he and Pereira felt about one another.

“We don’t like each other. Sometimes, energies don’t mix, and that’s fine,” Adesanya said.

“After this we won’t like each other, when we’re old men we won’t like each other. That’s just how it is.

“The fact that we have that history – every other fight was important to me: [Robert] Whittaker part one, [Derek] Brunson, [Brad] Tavares, [Paulo] Costa, whatever – [but] this fight, I just feel like, when I’m standing across from him, each round I can just see it. This is the one I have to win.”

The mutual dislike comes down to energy, as Adesanya does not speak Portuguese and Pereira does not speak English. But when the pair faced off for the first time this week in a stare-down following the public press conference, there was plenty of feeling there.

While there has been little public trash-talking between the two in the lead-up to the fight, the language barrier making that practice a waste of energy, Pereira did take a jab at one of Adesanya’s training methods – in which he dodges tennis balls thrown at him in a similar training style to that made famous by UFC legend Anderson Silva - labelling the exercise as “easy” while posting a video of himself sparring on a hoverboard.

Adesanya said the lead-in to the bout had a familiar feeling to it and likened it to his title defence against Costa in 2020. Leading into that bout, Costa and his team were posting skits online targeted at the champion, who went on to win by second-round TKO.

There are more similarities than that, as Costa was expected to test Adesanya with the power behind his striking, as is the case with knockout artist Pereira.

Adesanya admitted Pereira had earned the right to run his mouth a bit in the lead-up to Sunday’s fight given how their past meetings have played out but said he welcomed the pressure that came with such a big fight.

“He’s got bragging rights, so he can talk all the shit he wants. It’s giving Costa vibes, and I like that kind of energy,” Adesanya said.

“I like [the pressure] on me.

“I like these moments where I’m forced to rise to the occasion and I know who I am, I know my spirit, I know my code, I know my ancestry. He’s a tough guy but, you know, I’m alright.”