UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is excited by the challenge of facing Alex Pereira.
Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) will look to notch his sixth title defense when he takes on Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC 281 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Having lost to Pereira twice in kickboxing, including once by knockout, Adesanya is motivated to avenge those losses.
“Beating him, that’s what matters,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Like, the belt? F*ck the belt. Just beating him, a killer like him, that’s what matters.”
According to Tipico Sportsbook, Adesanya is just a slight favorite at -175, with Pereira a +135 underdog.
Adesanya’s losses to Pereira came over five years. “The Last Stylebender” has moved past those setbacks and vows that Pereira is in for a different challenge in MMA.
“We’ve dusted that off, we’ve cut it off, and I can see what I did wrong,” Adesanya said. “So, it’s not gonna be like last time. This is a different fighter you’re facing, and now I’ve become another fighter. I’ve re-birthed myself. I’ve re-birthed it, and I just feel like I want to have fun. That’s the goal. But this fight, I’m gonna have fun. That’s the ultimate goal. And when I have fun, I’m the best in the world.”
You can watch the full episode of Adesanya’s VLOG in the video below:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.
Israel Adesanya: ‘F*ck the belt,’ just beating Alex Pereira at UFC 281 is ‘what matters’