Israel Adesanya knows the footage of him motionless on the canvas with an oxygen mask on his face is a selling point.
But when someone tries to tell him Alex Pereira – the only man to have knocked Adesanya out in his combat sports career –is his toughest test in the UFC, the middleweight champion shakes his head and replies: “I don’t know what the f–k they’re talking about”.
Adesanya (23-1) will defend his title against Pereira (6-1) – the man who beat him twice as a kickboxer – at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday (AEDT).
Their first meeting ended with a points decision in Pereira’s favour. Adesanya ended up on the canvas in the second. Adesanya says he was guilty of straying from his game plan on that night in 2017, throwing caution to the wind in search of a stoppage before Pereira landed the final blow.
“The knockout doesn’t bother me, it’s the way I played the second round that bothered me. After I hurt him, I didn’t stay true to my style,” Adesanya said.
“You’re correct there. That’s what got to me. The knockout doesn’t bother me; when I see myself, the way I was throwing and attacking him, it makes me cringe.
Israel Adesanya has vanquished every challenger at middleweight.Credit:AP
“I go as the fight goes and I dictate the pace of the fight, but [for predicting] a specific round, no. I have inklings, but there is nothing guaranteed in this game. It will humble you quick if you think there is.
“I can dictate the pace and I can match the pace. I dictate the flow, the pace and the cadence of the fight, just through experience.”
From there, the pair went their separate ways. Adesanya quickly rose through the ranks of mixed martial arts and claimed the UFC middleweight title in 2019. Pereira would ultimately find his way to the same place – and now he has been fast-tracked to a title shot in a promoter’s dream.
Pereira arrived at his last bout in July unranked, but he stopped Sean Strickland in brutal fashion to book a date with the middleweight champion.
Adesanya would defend his middleweight title that night before sending Pereira a clear message: “Next time I put you on skates, you’re going to get frozen like Elsa. I’ll leave it at that.”
The 33-year-old hadn’t followed Pereira’s career until it became clear they would cross paths in the UFC. Now the Nigeran-born New Zealander has vowed to show he is levels above a man fighting for a title in only his eighth mixed martial arts appearance.
“Facts. That’s exactly what I plan on doing come November [13],” Adesanya said. “It’s going to get bloody, that’s one thing I can guarantee you. Apart from that, I will find a way to be victorious.”
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