Israel Adesanya reveals why upcoming Alex Pereira fight is "personal"
Israel Adesanya admitted that his upcoming fight against Alex Pereira is personal for him.
Adesanya fought Pereira twice in the kickboxing ring and lost both times. The rematch was a particularly bad moment for Adesanya as he got knocked out for the first and only time in his combat sports career.
However, the middleweight stars will collide under MMA rules for the first time in the main event of UFC 281. During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Adesanya revealed that he's definitely fighting for more than just the title"
"It’s personal, 'cause, this is about me and my legacy. This is about, re-writing history, even though it is history and I never chased this. This is about me re-writing a new path to history and showing people what I can really do. 'Cause again, y’all must've forgot. They always forget! It's because of this TikTok era, their attention span is so quick. They move on so fast."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:
'The Last Stylebender' also acknowledged that the Brazilian does have "bragging rights" against him, which is why he has remained relatively silent during the buildup. However, Adesanya vowed to surprise Pereira on fight night:
"So this is personal, like for me I'm just gonna... I’ve said less, you know. He can do all the tennis ball videos and f***ing hoverboard things he wants. But, for me, I’m just like cool, you do you. He has bragging rights so let him do that. But, yeah when it’s time, I know something he doesn’t."
Watch Israel Adesanya's full interview below:
Alex Pereira says he's not attached to past victories against Israel Adesanya
Alex Pereira recognized that latching onto his previous victories against Israel Adesanya can only do more harm than good.
With that in mind, 'Poatan' said that he's focused on the present rather than his past success. Appearing as a guest on MMA Fighting's Trocação Franca podcast, the Brazilian title challenger said:
"I can’t stay attached to those two fights I did with him and get in the middle of the Octagon, cross my arms and he goes down. I have to impose my rhythm and my game to win. I can’t think about two fights we did, or the knockout. Every fight is different. I have to go there and do what I’ve trained and be better than him."
Listen to the episode below: