Adesanya desperate to 'rewrite history' against Pereira
Nigeria born UFC fighter Israel Adesanya has stepped into the cage 24 times but none of those fights come close to meaning as much as his UFC 281 showdown with Alex Pereira.
'The Last Stylebender' is famed for his calculation, elite striking ability and capacity to separate emotion from technical skill.
But this one is deeply personal for the 33-year-old Kiwi. He will enter the octagon in Madison Square Garden knowing the man across from him knocked him unconscious the last time they crossed paths.
Adesanya would like to face Pereira in the next four fights if the Brazilian proves himself
It is an unfamiliar place to be for the champion but a dream narrative for both fans and the UFC, who have accelerated the challenger's rise for this occasion.
Adesanya is motivated by revenge for the first time in his MMA career. His defeat by Pereira in 2017 remains the only time he's ever been knocked out.
To make matters worse, he had Pereira wobbled in their kickboxing match prior to the 35-year-old connecting with a thudding left hook that sent his man sprawling to the canvas.
He'd won their previous kickboxing match by decision so enters Saturday night with the bragging rights.
But Adesanya has been so dominant at middleweight, winning all of his fights in the division and only slipping up when attempting to become two-weight champion against Jan Blachowicz.
Pereira is at a serious experience disadvantage in the octagon with only seven fights to his name. He lost the first by submission but that's unlikely to be a worry here.
Adesanya will want to prove that KO was an anomaly and he is the better striker.
And he isn't shying away from just how much this one means to him.
The Nigerian-born star told the MMA Hour: 'This is about me and my legacy. This is about rewriting history.
'Even though it is history and I never chased this, this is about me rewriting a new path of history and just showing people what I can really do because, again, y'all must've forgot. They forget, they always forget. It's because of this TikTok era, the attention span is so quick, they move on so fast.
'So this is personal. For me, I've said less, he can do all the tennis ball videos and f****** 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 when it's time I know something he doesn't. I can't tell you.'
