PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is putting pressure on himself for his rematch with UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].
Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) will look to reclaim his middleweight title from Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) when the pair throw down in the UFC 287 headliner on April 8 at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami.
Pereira rallied to knock out Adesanya at UFC 281, his third straight win over “The Last Stylebender” after defeating him twice in kickboxing. But heading into their rematch, Adesanya is looking at this opportunity as a clean slate.
“I’ve never not been motivated to fight this guy, but for this one, I’ve put the pressure on myself,” Adesanya told reporters backstage at UFC 284. “F*ck the belt, f*ck everything else, I have to beat this guy. That’s, I guess, my motivation – just beating him. Like I said, they can say whatever they want. It’s 1-0 or 3-0. I don’t keep score, I settle them, and I just need one, and I’m going to get it done.”
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Adesanya was up 3-1 on the judges’ scorecards against Pereira before getting stopped in Round 5. The outcome was very similar to their second kickboxing match where Adesanya was winning before getting caught late.
Despite getting stopped twice, Adesanya doesn’t plan on being hesitant against “Poatan.”
“I go in there, and I don’t overthink. I’m not gun shy,” Adesanya said. “I go in there and trade with people – especially with him, as well. So, yeah, just expect me to do what I do. Like I said, I have to talk because you guys want me to talk but say less. And I’ll do more. I promise you I’ll do more in this fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.