“Was gonna pull out” – Israel Adesanya sensationally reveals he was COMPROMISED before the Alex Pereira fight
Follow Us
Israel Adesanya (L) against Alex Pereira at UFC 281
Israel Adesanya, going into the fight against Alex Pereira was the clear favourite – given the nature of his dominance in the UFC, many fight fans and experts believed he had Alex Pereira’s number.
However, the one thing that analysts had warned Adesanya of, was Pereira’s night-ending power. Called the “great equalizer”, Alex Pereira’s hook or jab can change the course of a fight in a quick fashion. And, exactly that happened. Adesanya was up three rounds on each judge’s scorecard, before a flurry of jabs and hooks ended the champion’s night in the final round.
However, Adesanya has now revealed that he might have been compromised going into the fight with his old nemesis. Speaking to Andrew Schulz on the Flagrant 2 podcast, he said, “I was going to pull out of this fight early on… I hurt my PCL [Posterior Cruciate Ligament], that’s the thing that keeps the knee from going backwards… 3 weeks I just did boxing and grappling… just to give it a chance to heal.”
Speaking of why he didn’t pull out, Adesanya said, “I’m a prideful man. I’ll be damned if people say I’m scared of this guy. I knew I wanted to fight.”
Israel Adesanya believes ‘life is great’ despite Alex Pereira putting an end to his lengthy championship reign
One would think Israel Adesanya would be absolutely wallowing down in the dumps after his stunning loss to Alex Pereira – but, after winning seven champion bouts on the trot (five defences, one unified title win over Robert Whittaker and one interim championship win over Kelvin Gastelum), Israel Adesanya has adopted a champion mentality. That is, accepting the fact that defeat is part of life.
He said, “Life is great. Before the war, I feel like I am going to war. Afterwards, win, lose or draw, there’s a sense of gratitude and relief that I’m here, I’m healthy, I didn’t have to go to the hospital, I did very well, and I get to go home to my family and friends…People will want to fight me, because I am me. I’m Israel Adesanya.”
Powerful words, indeed, from the champion. Despite the loss, it seems like the Nigerian-Kiwi is taking it in his stride, and is only looking to up his game from here. Whatever is the case, we can expect to see Israel Adesanya back in the cage very soon – most likely, trying to regain the belt of the division that he has made his home.
Stay Updated!
Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)