Alex Pereira lacks motivation for Israel Adesanya rematch, claims UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis (Exclusive)
UFC middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis doesn't believe Alex Pereira is completely motivated for his rematch with Israel Adesanya at UFC 287.
Pereira stunned the MMA world at UFC 281 when he stopped Israel Adesanya in the fifth round to win the middleweight title. The Brazilian was down on the judges' scorecard heading into the final round before his powerful striking and pressure finally paid off. The 36-year-old corned Adesanya against the cage and landed heavy shots to snatch the TKO victory.
'Poatan's win meant he now leads the unofficial head-to-head against 'The Last Styelbender' with a 3-0 record. Alex Pereira had previously defeated the Nigerian New Zealander twice in kickboxing and for a third time in MMA.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's James Lynch, Du Plessis was asked about Pereira and Adesanya's rematch later this year. According to 'Stillknocks,' he doesn't believe Pereira is as motivated as Adesanya for the fight because he already holds multiple victories over him:
"I honestly believe in terms of hunger and motivation, I think Alex Pereira came in, did what he had to do and right now it's almost just formalities for him. That's a dangerous place to be. I believe that with Izzy, this fight right now means more to him than anything he's ever done in his career...I do believe he [Adesanya] walks away with the victory."
Catch the interview here [11:50]:
Israel Adesanya alludes to UFC retirement
Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has competed in the UFC since February 2018. The Nigerian-born Kiwi is 12-2 in the organization and only lost for the first time at middleweight when he faced his rival Alex Pereira last year.
'The Last Stylebender' was in attendance for UFC 284, which was headlined by Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev. Following the pair's stunning contest, Adesanya was caught by the media and was asked questions about his future.
To the surprise of most fans, the 33-year-old revealed that he's already eyeing his retirement. 'Izzy' explained that he doesn't expect to see himself still competing in the UFC in the next five years:
"I've been in the UFC five years, right? If I'm being honest, I'm not gonna be here in five years. I have other things to do in life... I love this s**t and I'm f**king great at it but I never attach myself to this and I'm gonna leave on top. So yeah, that's the place where I feel like you should leave. But again, I've been here five years in the UFC, [snaps fingers] it went like that. We'll see how long I'm here for but I don't think it's gonna be five years."
Catch Israel Adesanya's comments here [13:00]: