Adesanya says bout with Pereira is make or break
Former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Nigeria-born Israel Adesanya has claimed he is facing his final opportunity to defeat Alex Pereira next weekend at UFC 287 in Miami, Florida – given his history against the Brazilian berserker.
Adesanya, a former undisputed middleweight titleholder under the UFC banner, most recently headlined UFC 281 back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden against the above-mentioned, Pereira, dropping his title in an eventual fifth round standing TKO loss.
The defeat came as City Kickboxing staple, Adesanya’s first at the middleweight limit in his professional mixed martial arts career.
Seeing his title reign come to a shocking end, the Nigerian-Kiwi had successfully defended his crown against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and prior to his defeat to Pereira, Jared Cannonier during International Fight Week in July of last year.
Attempting to sway the tide following three separate combat sports defeats to former duel-weight glory Kickboxing champion, Pereira, Adesanya admitted that it was most likely make or break next weekend in the ‘Sunshine State’ for him against the Sao Paulo phenom.
“I’m hunting, and I mean that in every sense of the word,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “The mindset is different, definitely. Even, Eugene (Bareman) and I are on the same page. The mindset is definitely different.”
“I like it because it puts it all on me, and it’s kind of poetic in a way,” Adesanya explained. “ One life: Roll the dice. This is my last shot, and I’m going to give to it all I’ve got in every sense of the word.”
Throughout the build-up to next weekend’s pay-per-view headliner, Adesanya maintains that despite suffering three defeats to Pereira during their respective careers, the Brazilian knows in himself that the former has his number, and is capable of defeating him.
