Watch: Alex Pereira asked Israel Adesanya to stop avoiding eye contact as they faced off at UFC 281 pre-fight press conference - "Look at me"
Alex Pereira took a jibe at longtime rival Israel Adesanya during their face-off at the UFC 281 pre-fight press conference earlier this week. Reigning UFC middleweight champion Adesanya is scheduled to defend his belt against Pereira in the headlining matchup at UFC 281. The event will take place at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City on Saturday, November 12.
In episode 5 of the UFC 281 Embedded: Vlog Series posted to the UFC's official YouTube channel, Alex Pereira can be seen urging Israel Adesanya to look him in the eye during their face-off at the pre-fight press conference. Pereira stated:
"Look at me." Adesanya responded by looking at him and asserting, "Don't worry. I'm here. I ain't going nowhere." Pereira replied by simply noting, "Saturday."
'Poatan' subsequently discussed his intense staredown against Israel Adesanya and explained its significance. The veteran kickboxer and MMA stalwart from Brazil suggested that the face-off helped him switch to fight mode as he approaches their highly-anticipated matchup at UFC 281:
"It was sensational. I am well! I needed to feel that; to feel this moment. It's a very important moment because we're here and not that I got distracted, but we have so many commitments. This is the moment that gets me aware. From now on, my mind has switched."
Watch Pereira and Adesanya's verbal exchange at 4:06 in the video below:
Dan Hooker believes fans should "side heavily" with Israel Adesanya in UFC 281 fight against Alex Pereira
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Israel Adesanya's longtime City Kickboxing (CKB) teammate Dan Hooker addressed the Adesanya-Pereira matchup and the duo's long-running feud.
Pereira defeated 'Izzy' via unanimous decision back in 2016 and then via third-round KO in their rematch in 2017. Both their kickboxing bouts were closely-contested back-and-forth matchups.
Don’t forget Alex Pereira is the only person to ever KO Israel Adesanya 😤
https://t.co/jYCuPl83Vv
Dan Hooker opined that despite Alex Pereira having bested Israel Adesanya twice in kickboxing, their upcoming MMA bout would witness 'Izzy' emerge victorious. The UFC lightweight further alluded to the volatility of the fight game.
Hooker insinuated that the Nigerian-born Kiwi was winning both fights but ultimately ended up losing to Pereira. Moreover, he seemingly foresees his teammate finally defeating Pereira in their upcoming MMA bout. Hooker said:
"He's got the bragging rights for now, Israel always said. In terms of actual skill and actual experience, you'd have to side heavily with Israel. It's funny the amount of people that don't actually do their homework that don't go back and study these fights and look at them before the weekend. If you go back and watch these fights, I think it changes pretty quick the outcome of this contest."
Watch Hooker's Sportskeeda MMA interview below: