Israel Adesanya's coach advised him to 'take the shackles off mentally', become the fighter he once was ahead of UFC 287

Israel Adesanya's coach, Eugene Bareman, spoke to Megan Anderson for ESPN MMA ahead of UFC 287, where Adesanya will face long-time foe Alex Pereira.

Bareman outlined Adesanya's path to victory in anticipation of the fight and said:

"I've asked Israel to look back to his past a little bit and kind of take the shackles of himself, mentally, and find, find some of the things he had in the past. I'm talking about his decision-making, his decision-making ability, the ability to flow in a fight, things he used to have when he was younger, things used to come a little bit more freely. I've asked him to find that."

The City Kickboxing head coach added:

"I've asked him to look at some of his older fights, I'm not gonna say which ones obviously, but yeah, I've asked him to look at his older fights and find that fighter again, and amalgamate that with all the new skills he has added. If we can find that balance, we have a pretty good Israel heading into the fight." [6:10]

Catch the rest of Bareman's interview with ESPN MMA here:

Israel Adesanya is 0-3 to Alex Pereira in combat sports, losing to him twice in kickboxing and once inside the UFC octagon. He heads into the fight looking for revenge, and will attempt to recapture the middleweight title and settle the score with Pereira once and for all.

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Israel Adesanya faces Alex Pereira at UFC 287, Jorge Masvidal to take on Gilbert Burns in co-main event

While the Israel Adesanya-Alex Pereira rematch is definitely a treat, the rest of the card is by no means disappointing. In the co-main event, Miami native and fan-favorite Jorge Masvidal makes his return to the octagon. He is set to take on welterweight contender Gilbert Burns in what is sure to be fireworks. The UFC's youngest fighter, Raul Rosas Jr., will kick off the main card as he takes on Christian Rodriguez.

Rising bantamweight Adrian Yanez will take on boxing-heavy Rob Font in a fight that will be a treat for striking fans. Other notable names on the card include Kevin Holland, Kelvin Gastelum and Michelle Waterson.

Check out the UFC 287 card here:

OddSmokerSteve

@OddSmokerSteve

UFC 287 Card Update

- Trey Ogden is stepping in on short notice to face Ignacio Bahamondes at a catchweight of 160 lbs
- Still unknown if Michael Chiesa will receive a new opponent

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UFC 287 Card Update

- Trey Ogden is stepping in on short notice to face Ignacio Bahamondes at a catchweight of 160 lbs
- Still unknown if Michael Chiesa will receive a new opponent https://t.co/ZkzdnnsQAP

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