“F**k the belt” – Israel Adesanya reveals the only thing he wants going into the fight against his arch-nemesis Alex Pereira

“F**k the belt” – Israel Adesanya reveals the only thing he wants going into the fight against his arch-nemesis Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC Middleweight title for the 6th time on November 13, 2022. At UFC 281 ‘The last Stylebender’ will be going one on one against a familiar foe, Alex Pereira. Both of them know each other from their kickboxing days. In fact, Adesanya has been defeated twice by Pereira inside the kickboxing ring. So Adesanya will be looking to avenge his loss at UFC 281.

Recently on his youtube channel FREESTYLEBENDER, Adesanya posted a video of his training camp ahead of this fight. In the video, he revealed that revenge for his past defeats is a far more relevant motive for him than holding onto his championship.

YouTube video

He said, “Beating him, that’s what matters…F*ck the belt. Just beating him, a killer like him, that’s what matters.” Pereira made his UFC debut back in 2021 at UFC 268 winning the performance of the night when he knocked out his opponent with a flying knee.

FS Video

The Brazilian has been on a rapid rise in the Middleweight division and is looking forward to capturing his first UFC golds. On the other side, the champion will want to continue his unbeaten run in the Middleweight division.

Also Read: WATCH: Israel Adesanya shares clips from an intense sparring session ahead of Alex Pereira fight at UFC 281

When Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya wrestled Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski 

Israel Adesanya Alexander Volkanovski
Israel Adesanya Alex Periera

A few weeks ago, a video of Volkanovski sparring with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and taking him down went viral. Fight fans are aware of Adesanya’s ground game and size advantage over Volkanovski. However, Volkanovski quite effortlessly took down “The Last Stylebender.“

Volkanovski can be seen leaning against Adesanya as he is forced up against the wall in the footage. They clinch for a while, with Adesanya attempting to stay upright the entire time. But, when Adesanya tried to use a flying triangle, he is stopped, and Volkanovski, who is considerably smaller, eventually takes him down.

Also Read: “Knocked out by your father”- Israel Adesanya’s poor choice of words targetting Alex Pereira gets him ruthlessly mocked by fans

It’s quite fascinating to see this matchup between the ranked 1 and ranked 2 fighters on the pound-for-pound ranking. Although it seems Volkanovski has proved why he is number one on that list. Both the fighters are training ahead of their fight. Adesanya has a title defense at UFC 281 while Volkanovski is preparing for his battle against Islam Makahachev.

Also Read: “I got him by knockout …” – Henry Cejudo has CLEAR favourite going into the Israel Adesanya – Alex Pereira fight