A extremely anticipated trilogy combat is scheduled to go down this weekend in the principle occasion of UFC 281. There, at New York’s Madison Sq. Backyard, Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight title in opposition to Alex Pereira, a person he met (and misplaced to) twice throughout his days in GLORY kickboxing.
Pereira not too long ago appeared on MMA Combating’s Portuguese language podcast Trocação Franca with Guilherme Cruz. Throughout that look Poatan claimed ‘The Final Stylebender’ had been compelled into this combat.
“If he actually needed this, he would have performed that as quickly as I signed with the UFC,” he mentioned. “He’s being compelled to combat, he’s the champion. It’s apparent that he cares concerning the belt.”
“He is aware of I’m not like the opposite guys he fought, in any other case the outcomes would have been completely different in each occasions we fought,” Pereira continued. “He is aware of I’m completely different, and I’m proving that. I’m exhibiting that in my three UFC fights. I’m being trustworthy right here. He doesn’t need this combat. No person desires. His group doesn’t need it. Folks near him don’t need it as a result of they know the danger. Is he good? Is he the champion? He’s there as a result of he did what he did. All people is aware of my potential and sees my evolution.
“Proper after I obtained within the UFC he mentioned he wish to combat me perhaps after 4 fights however ‘relax’. He needed [to fight me], however solely after I did 4 fights. Why? He had in his thoughts I might lose to somebody and he would say, ‘Is that the man you need me to combat?’ I by no means believed that, however some folks did. Others notice now he was bluffing. That’s not what he desires.
“Proper after it was introduced that my subsequent combat could be for the belt in opposition to him, he and his entire group mentioned it was a bit unfair that I used to be preventing for the belt as a result of I simply obtained right here, that Adesanya did so many fights and I ought to do the identical. Man, I’m simply listening to that and taking it as one thing optimistic for me. That reveals me he pretended he needed [to fight me] and after I obtained right here, his entire group was in opposition to it. That reveals all of them, he and his group are mentally shook.”
In the course of the podcast Pereira additionally weighed in on Adesanya’s newer performances, which have been criticized for being bereft of motion and killer intuition.
“There’s no method he fights the best way he’s been preventing, he should be extra aggressive,” Pereira reckoned. “I’m prepared for that. We’re speaking MMA, we’re not speaking kickboxing. I feel he comes extra aggressive, and that’s good for me.”
Pereira is clearly assured that his combat with Adesanya will go much like the earlier occasions they tangled (one which Pereira received by determination and the opposite by gorgeous KO). The Brazilian mentioned that this confidence has result in some backlash on-line.
“I posted one thing the opposite day and somebody wrote, ‘Be extra humble. The champion himself posted the video of him getting knocked out by you. F*ck, so inform him to publish a video of him knocking me out. He doesn’t have that. I’ve knocked out the man that’s UFC champion as we speak. It doesn’t matter if that was 30 years in the past, it’s a part of my historical past and folks wish to take that away from me. It doesn’t make sense.”
UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira goes stay at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV. The co-main occasion has Carla Esparza defending her UFC strawweight title in opposition to former champion Zhang Weili. The primary card additionally features a contest between light-weight title challengers Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.
