Israel Adesanya reveals why "it would be stupid" to try and browbeat Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 281
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira are gearing up to face each other for the third time, this time inside the octagon at UFC 281. The rivalry, which originated in the kickboxing world, has crossed over to the UFC, and the latest chapter will be scripted on the grand stage of Madison Square Garden this weekend.
Pereira has already beaten the current UFC middleweight champion twice in kickboxing and never misses out on an opportunity to rub those victories in Adesanya's face. 'Poatan' has also recently amplified his jabs on social media in an attempt to instigate his rival and satirize his training methods.
Israel Adesanya, for his part, has never shyed away from those losses. A master in the art of mental warfare himself, 'The Last Stylebender' has been rather unobtrusive in his approach to the fight.
Speaking in a recent interview on Morning Kombat, Adesanya alluded to the two losses as a factor behind his altered approach to this fight:
"This fight's already sold. If not, I would've been talking so much s**t and what not. If I had never fought him before then I would've probably played the tactic a little different. But like I said, this guy has already beat me. He's beat me in the past in a different code in kickboxing."
Adesanya added:
"It would be stupid of me to come in here and try and like intimidate him. I know he doesn't get intimidated easily. Neither do I. So it would be stupid of him to try all these tactics that he's doing to try and get at me... I find it funny."
Watch the full interview below:
Israel Adesanya senses a pattern in the pre-fight approach of Paulo Costa and Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa engaged in several Twitter exchanges and verbal banter ahead of their fight at UFC 253. This was also Adesanya's second fight as the undisputed UFC middleweight champion.
At the weigh-ins, 'Borrachinha', a black belt in jiu-jitsu tried to belittle Israel Adesanya by presenting him with a white belt. 'The Last Stylebender' snapped at the Brazilian and the pair had to be separated.
Watch the video below:
THE BEEF IS REAL 😤
Things get personal as Costa taunts Adesanya with a white belt at weigh-ins.
[ #UFC253 - LIVE on ESPN+ PPV: bit.ly/2ZWMt22 ] https://t.co/axIHv9vhsh
Adesanya went on to win the lopsided contest by TKO in the second round.
Curiously enough, Alex Pereira, who's scheduled to fight Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 281 come Saturday night, has resorted to similar mocking methods in an attempt to rattle the UFC middleweight champion.
Speaking in an exclusive interview in an editorial collaboration with The AllStar, Adesanya pointed out that Pereira's line of attack is giving out "mad Costa vibes":
"Right now, this guy is giving me mad Costa vibes... I remember Costa was doing skits with his guys, and all that s**t. Same thing. I don't react. I'm like, 'What do you want from me?' He wants me to react, I don't react. But I will respond, and I'll respond with violence when it's time."
Watch the full interview below: