Saturday’s UFC 287 fight card is headlined by a rematch between middleweight champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Israel Adesanya.
Not only did Pereira dethrone Adesanya’s middleweight reign at UFC 281 in November, it was the third win over Adesanya for “Poatan” in combat sports. Pereira defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing bouts before either of the turned their attention to mixed martial arts.
On the surface, it seems like just another fight week for Adesanya, but “The Last Stylebender” will be fighting for his UFC legacy on Saturday. The title is on the line, but that doesn’t really matter to Adesanya.
“F**k the belt, I’m coming for his head,” said Adesanya during the UFC 287 Pre-Fight Press Conference.
“This is my 8-Mile moment. This is it, one more shot at this,” continued Adesanya. “I’ve put everything on my back. I’ve done everything in my power to make sure I do the worst thing to this man this weekend. I’m done with this talking sh*t.”
Adesanya has one goal in mind and has been pinpoint focused on getting the task done. He has to defeat his nemesis, or be a footnote on Pereira’s resume.
“This is the most locked in I’ve ever been,” Adesanya said. “Time for talking is almost done. Saturday night, yeah, we’ll fight.”
Israel Adesanya: ‘F**k the belt, I’m coming for his head’
