"You'll soon find out" - Israel Adesanya sends message to Alex Pereira, talks about his final preparations ahead of upcoming title fight
Israel Adesanya has shed light on the final preparations ahead of his upcoming fight against Alex Pereira. In a video posted to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, the UFC middleweight kingpin spoke to his brother David Adesanya regarding multiple topics.
Addressing how he's feeling a week before his upcoming title defense, Adesanya asserted that he's doing "very well." His brother chimed in and claimed that 'The Last Stylebender' was coming off a great sparring session. The UFC megastar's brother simply noted - "Hey, the man's on fire."
Adesanya concurred:
"I'm surprised. That was like the best one yet. Yeah, I was just in the zone and the flow. And yeah, I don't wanna say too much, but yeah, you'll soon find out."
David Adesanya alluded to the fact that the Alex Pereira matchup will mark Israel Adesanya's return to the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York. It was the same arena where he memorably stopped Derek Brunson via first-round TKO in November 2018.
Upon being asked if he's tapping into that energy heading into his clash against Pereira, Adesanya said:
"Nah, not really, no. I've remembered it, yes. I've thought about it a little bit. But I've not dwelled on it. That was in the past. This is now. So, this is a different opponent, different energy, different story, different arc in my story. So, yeah, I've just been taking it as what it is. I'm not living in the past."
Israel Adesanya also revealed that he's set to partake in the final 'spider' session of his training camp. He explained that the 'spider' is a grueling workout that comprises fight-specific exercises for him, with different training partners entering the fray every 30 seconds.
He admitted that, at times, the 'spider' workout makes him more nervous than the actual fight does, which shows how demanding the workout is.
Watch Israel Adesanya discuss his upcoming fight below:
Israel Adesanya looks to avenge the only KO loss of his combat sports career against his archnemesis
Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is scheduled to defend his title against archnemesis Alex Pereira at UFC 281 on November 12th. This will be the third time the duo has locked horns in a professional setting.
While Adesanya is yet to face Pereira in an MMA bout, he's fought 'Poatan' twice in the sport of kickboxing. Pereira leads their series of fights, having beaten 'The Last Stylebender' via unanimous decision in 2016 and via third-round KO in 2017.
Don’t forget Alex Pereira is the only person to ever KO Israel Adesanya 😤
https://t.co/jYCuPl83Vv
The 2017 defeat remains the lone knockout loss of Adesanya's combat sports career thus far, be it kickboxing, boxing, or MMA. Needless to say, 'The Last Stylebender' has vowed to avenge the loss and finally get the better of his biggest rival.
The fight we wanted! 💯
The fight we're getting! 🔥
Madison Square Garden, NYC! 🗽
Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira for the UFC Middleweight Championship! 🏆
#UFC281 https://t.co/6zP2Ar8fKu