Getty Israel Adesanya participates in a press conference.
UFC superstar Israel Adesanya has dropped an electrifying promo for his next fight with a strong message for his foe.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion is set to take on top-ranked contender Alex Pereira in the headlining bout of UFC 281 on Nov. 12. It will mark the promotion’s long-awaited return to Madison Square Garden in New York. Adesanya goes into the bout off a lopsided decision win over Jared Cannonier in July at UFC 276.
Pereira is the boogeyman of Adesanya’s career. He holds two victories over the Nigerian born Kiwi, including a brutal knockout, a feat he achieved in the sport of kickboxing.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Adesanya shared an exhilarating trailer for his upcoming match with Pereira.
“When I fought him, I thought I won the first fight,” Adesanya said. “In the second fight, he was honestly on skates, referee saved his a** because I was about to drop him. Then, in the third round, he comes out and knocks me out in his home country. That’s a beautiful story for him but I’m still here. This is perfect for the storyline, leading up to everything.
“A guy like that, he’s a beast. If you can make that look easy, it just makes you look legendary.”
The trailer features a snippet from Pereira saying, “A lot of people talk about both wins I had over Israel Adesanya but that was in kickboxing. Today, it’s about MMA.”
Adesanya closes it off with a vow of vengeance.
“We know who’s next, ‘Poatan,’ I’m the champion. Let’s go. I know how to beat him. I can do it, I know I can do it and I will.
“I want to test myself against every one of this era who’s a beast,” he added. “I’m going to shut this guy up, I’m going to shock the world. He who laughs last laughs best.”
Dana White Guarantees Adesanya vs. Pereira Will Be Insane
‘Stylebender’ received criticism for his recent string of title defenses, including the latest outing against Cannonier. Fellow fighters and fans bashed Adesanya for not taking enough risks and putting on ‘boring’ fights despite the bold claims he tends to make in the build-up.
UFC president Dana White gave his take on Adesanya’s next bout, guaranteeing an insane showdown with Pereira.
“When you’re sitting here in my position, you can’t give too many guarantees,” White said via MMA Junkie on Jul. 16 during the UFC on ABC 3 post-event news conference. “I can say, ‘Stylistically on paper this should be,’ you know, or, ‘We feel this is gonna be’ – I f**king guarantee you. I absolutely, positively guarantee you that the next fight that Israel Adesanya fights will be bat-s**t nuts.”
Pereira Plans To Engage With Adesanya in Their Fight
In an interview with “Super Lutas,” Pereira talked about repeating history in his nearing title shot against Adesanya.
“I can tell you that it will be impossible for him not to engage,” Pereira said via Sportskeeda. “If he’s within my reach I will hurt him. And five rounds…he won’t make it, five rounds? And I come close, you can see in the fights that I come close, I have a very good defense.
“He will want to attack or counterattack, but I can hurt him with my defense too.”