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Adesanya faces Pereira for the 3rd time, here is what happened the last 2 times they met.
Nigerian-New Zealander professional Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Israel Mobolaji Adesanya is set for a return to the octagon against Alex Pereira at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 281.
This will be the third fight between Adesanya and Pereira at the professional level. The first two encounters happened while they were kickboxers before switching to MMA.
Now Adesanya is the reigning UFC middleweight champion and Pereira is ranked the number six challenger. The Brazilian gets a shot at Adesanya based on their history in kickboxing which promises to be an interesting encounter.
Adesanya's last two fights against Pereira
On the two previous occasions, Pereira emerged victorious against Adesanya. Their first fight was in 2016 as Pereira defeated Adesanya via a unanimous decision win at the Glory of Heroes 1 in Shenzhen.
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The rematch took place in 2017 at the 15th edition of the Glory of Heroes in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pereira did not require a decision this time around as he knocked out Adesanya in style with a left hook to his face in the third round.
The rematch was the first and only time Adesanya has been knocked out in a combat sport hence his bad blood with Pereira.
After defeating Cannonier at UFC 276, Adesanya called out Pereira for a third fight and a chance at redemption.
He said, "Look, we know who is next. That 'Poatan' p*ha [Alex Pereira]. Trust me, the first time I told you.
It was an error on my part spamming right hands and that was in kickboxing... But like I said at the press conference, the next time I put you on skates, you're going to get a little frozen like Elza."
Adesanya on UFC 281 against Pereira
Adesanya reflected on his previous encounters with Pereira at the UFC 281 press conference held at Madison Square Garden, the venue of the fight.
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According to the reigning UFC Middleweight champion he has reviewed both fights against Pereira and concluded he is much better going into the third.
Adesanya then issued a warning to Pereira saying that his striking game is very much improved and that the UFC is different from kickboxing.
He added, “It was a close fight, sure. But if you’re scoring the fight according to the criteria of kickboxing, I was doing work. I watched the highlights as well. I seen the shots I was hitting him with back then but he was just able to eat them. I was a skinny boy, a skinny clown back then. But I can find those same angles on him.
"My game is a lot different. My striking has always been better suited for MMA. I’ve said that from the jump. I’m just really good at striking that I dominated in kickboxing, but my striking has always been better suited for MMA. Yeah, again. We’ll see.”
Adesanya takes on Pereira for a third time at UFC 281 scheduled for Sunday, November 13, 2022.
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