UFC 281: "There was really no one else"- Israel Adesanya explains why he took the fight against Alex Pereira

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has explained the reasoning behind accepting a fight against Alex Pereira.

'The Last Stylebender' recently appeared on ESPN's First Take. During his time there, the New Zealander said that his history with the Brazilian was a factor in him accepting the fight. The 33-year-old added that there was no other frontrunner to challenge him for the title as he had cleaned out the middleweight division. Thus, he agreed to go toe-to-toe with 'Poatan':

"I still maintain that he hasn't earned his spot. like, the way a guy like myself, my championship run, the way I got to the belt was through a gauntlet, the hard work of fighting different styles but because I've already cleared the path by clearing out the middleweight division, there's really no one else for me to fight. And he jumped into MMA. We have that history in kickboxing. So yeah, you know, they set him up nicely and I like that because it's a big money fight," said Israel Adesanya.

You can watch Adesanya talk about his matchup with Pereira below:

Adesanya will headline UFC 281 against Pereira at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York. This will be Adesanya's sixth time defending his middleweight crown.

One interesting thing about this matchup is that Pereira has been put in a championship fight after just three appearances in the promotion. Fast-tracking the Brazilian into a title fight might be a signal that the UFC sees star-potential in 'Poatan'.

Ali Abdelaziz predicts Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has weighed in on the upcoming middleweight showdown between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.

Abdelaziz wrote a tweet where he praised the Brazilian and his knockout power. But the MMA manager eventually picked Adesanya to emerge victorious come fight night.

"I think Pereira is very good and can knock anybody out, but I also think Adesanya is too slick, too experienced and he is the champion for a reason, I’m going to pick Adesanya to win this fight #UFC281."

I think Pereira is very good and can knock anybody out, but I also think Adesanya is too slick, too experienced and he is the champion for a reason, I’m going to pick Adesanya to win this fight #UFC281

Adesanya and Pereira have faced off twice in kickboxing and 'Poatan' won both encounters. Now, all eyes will be on Adesanya to see if he is able to avenge those losses on November 13.