Alex Pereira shows no mercy to training partner in intense sparring session ahead of Israel Adesanya rematch at UFC 287
Alex Pereira has provided fans with a look into his intense sparring ahead of his highly-anticipated MMA rematch against Israel Adesanya. Pereira has faced 'Izzy' thrice in the combat sports realm, twice in the sport of kickboxing and once in MMA. Their upcoming showdown will be their second MMA clash and fourth in combat sports overall.
'Poatan' defeated Adesanya via unanimous decision in their first fight back in 2016 and via third-round KO in their rematch in 2017. Both fights were kickboxing bouts. Years later, Pereira faced Adesanya for the latter's UFC middleweight title in an MMA bout.
Their MMA fight, which transpired at UFC 281 in November 2022, witnessed Pereira get stunned and almost finished by Adesanya's punches in Round 1. However, the Brazilian fighter rallied and stopped 'Izzy' via a fifth-round TKO to win the UFC middleweight title.
THIS SPORT 🤯
Adesanya v Pereira had it all and the finish...just WOW 🇧🇷
#UFC281 https://t.co/faS17Swp1I
Heading into their upcoming MMA rematch that'll take place at UFC 287 on April 8, 2023, Alex Pereira took to Instagram to post a video of him unleashing a hellacious striking attack against a sparring partner at the gym.
Furthermore, in a statement attached to the Instagram post, 'Poatan' referenced Israel Adesanya's birthdate — July 22, 1989. The birthdate was followed by a coffin emoji alongside the date of their upcoming fight — April 8, 2023. As seen in the statement noted below, Pereira appears to have thereby alluded to metaphorically ending Adesanya's life when they face off at UFC 287:
"⭐️22/07/1989 ⚰️08/04/2023"
Watch Pereira unleash a flurry of merciless power punches on his training partner in the video below:
Israel Adesanya on needing medical intervention after UFC 281 loss against Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira is known to be a prolific finisher, courtesy of his vaunted KO power as evidenced by his kickboxing and MMA resumes. One of several instances of Pereira's legendary power came when he famously left Israel Adesanya unconscious on the mat in their kickboxing rematch in 2017. Following the vicious KO defeat, 'Izzy' required medical aid via an oxygen tank.
Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya will run it back at UFC 287 🔁🏆 https://t.co/zGDCFtUuKF
Speaking to New Zealand MMA outlet Combat TV, Israel Adesanya recently revealed that he needed medical intervention after being stopped by Pereira at UFC 281 as well.
Israel Adesanya previously highlighted that Pereira's kicks damaged the peroneal nerve in his leg, limiting his movement. He alluded to the same and added that pre-existing health issues heading into UFC 281 worsened during the grueling fight. 'Izzy' stated:
"I had some medical intervention [following the fight]. Not just the fight itself, but I had a pre-existing thing that I had to sort out before the fight. Everyone goes into a fight with something, there's always something [wrong]. [It's] the way we train."
Watch Adesanya's assessment at 2:10 below: