UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya locked eyes with Alex Pereira, their challenger. They fought for their UFC 281. first staredown.
The two shared a few words, and Adesanya motioned to the crowd that his challenge, who defeated him twice in the kickboxing ring, was all talk. The tension didn’t escalate to physical confrontation, however.
The fight took place last Wednesday, following the pre-fight press conference at Madison Square Garden. The co-main event, which featured champion Carla Esparza against Zhang Weili, was also contested. Esparza was roundly booed during the press conference.
Check out full highlights of the UFC 281 press conference staredowns from Wednesday’s press conference in the video above.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/9/23450425/ufc-281-press-conference-staredowns?rand=96749