Israel Adesanya has plenty of motivation ahead of UFC 287.
The April 8 pay-per-view sees Adesanya once again square off with longtime rival Alex Pereira in the main event, with Adesanya looking to reclaim the UFC middleweight title that he lost to Pereira this past November via a shocking fifth-round knockout. Pereira also holds two kickboxing victories over Adesanya, giving him a definitive 3-0 lead in their combat sports series.
Having such a storied history with Pereira, Adesanya was asked what his specific motivation is for their rematch during a media scrum backstage at UFC 284 this past Saturday in Perth, Australia.
” I have never been motivated not to fight him, but this time I feel the pressure,” Adesanya stated. I mean, like, f*** your belt and f*** all other things. This guy is my motivation. Like I said, they can say whatever they want, it’s 1-0 or 3-0, I don’t keep score, I settle them and I just need one and I’m going to get it done.”
Adesanya, who had previously won MMA at 185 weights before meeting Pereira for the second time, was well on his way towards a victory. Pereira increased the pressure just two minutes before the end of the third round. Marc Goddard, the referee, intervened to stop Adesanya from defending his title and made Pereira a UFC champion for just eight MMA appearances.
The bout was similar in some ways to their two kickboxing bouts, with Adesanya seemingly doing enough to win each time but losing by narrow decision in the first encounter and a late knockout in the second. Their fourth encounter will be the same as their previous ones, but with a new ending.
“Just keep the same energy because I’m always beating him until I’m not,” Adesanya said when asked about potential adjustments. So I will just keep on beating him through .”
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” I go there and don’t think too much,” Adesanya added. “I’m not gun shy. I go in there and I trade with people, especially with him as well, so expect me to do what I do. As I stated, I must talk to you because I want to speak, but I will say less to do more. I swear I will do more for this fight .”
An Adesanya win would present the UFC with a conundrum, as Pereira would have a strong case for an immediate rematch himself having previously beaten Adesanya three times. However, Adesanya expects that a win over Pereira will be the end of it, with Pereira possibly making a move to light heavyweight in the future.
“If he wants to stick around we can do it, but I have a hunch he’s going to move up,” Adesanya said.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/14/23597669/israel-adesanya-not-dwelling-on-losses-ahead-of-alex-pereira-rematch-i-dont-keep-score-i-settle-them?rand=96749
