When Alex Pereira signed with the UFC fans knew at some point he’d be matched up with the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, considering their past.
And that time has finally come.
Adesanya, one of the most dominant UFC champions will face a former foe in Pereira, who he’s already lost to twice in kickboxing in the main event at UFC 281 with Adesanya’s title on the line. But it isn’t the title Adesanya has his heart set on, it’s revenge.
“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.”
Adesanya says he’s confident there won’t be a third loss.
“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.”
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‘F*ck the belt’ Israel Adesanya doesn’t want the title, just revenge with Alex Pereira