Alex Pereira believes Israel Adesanya has rushed into their rematch at UFC 287, hoping to move on with his career.
The pair’s fight at UFC 287 in Miami this weekend will be the fourth time they’ve met, having crossed paths twice in kickboxing and, most recently, for the UFC middleweight championship in November.
On all three occasions, Pereira has emerged victorious.
Speaking to Sporting News, “Poatan” said he always expected to face Adesanya again in the UFC but was surprised it came around so soon.
“Fighting me this fast kind of showed me that maybe he just wanted to get it over with, wanted to get it done,” Pereira’s translator relayed, offering a glimpse into what Adesanya might be thinking: “Let me just fight this guy one more time and, whatever happens, at least I can live my life in peace.
“He knows deep inside that he lost three times and I think that weighs on his shoulders way more than it is on mine.”
Pereira and Adesanya’s history is a story well told by now.
Around the time of their last meeting, it emerged an interview Adesanya had done with Sporting News Australia had been the catalyst for Pereira’s transition from kickboxing to MMA.
Take a listen below.
“It was a heavy interview,” Pereira said.
“We had fought twice and he said that he never watched any of my fights.
“After that he said that I would never go anywhere, that I would just be a guy at a bar using his name to try to get girls and I proved him wrong.
“I went after him and got to the UFC and became champ.”
Their last fight at UFC 281 followed a similar pattern to their second kickboxing bout – Adesanya was up on the cards but the significant firepower in Pereira’s hands eventually found the target and stopped the Kiwi late in the contest.
Pereira revealed he had been mindful of keeping some gas in the tank for the final round, while also using up some of Adesanya’s.
“Going into round four, I tried to make him waste his power, waste his punches a little bit so he could gas out a little bit,” he said.
“Take a toll on his conditioning, get him tired by moving a little more, let him hit more so then, going into the fifth round, I could score the knockout.
“I’ve been through situations like that. My experience just told me I had to put a little more pressure on in that round and that’s what I did.”
Earlier in the fight, Pereira had been rocked badly just before the horn rang to end the first round.
He hasn’t forgotten that moment going into the latest instalment, nor have the questions around his grappling ability escaped his attention.
“It does change a little bit because I was doing good in that round and then I got caught, so it shows me that I’ve got to be a little more aware for this second fight,” Pereira said.
“Many people criticise my ground game and believe that is the way for him to go but let’s see.
“I think I have a good ground game to display and if Israel this time wants to take me down, wants to pursue the grappling, maybe this is a chance for me to show everybody.”
So, will it be more of the same or has Adesanya finally got the piece to solve the Pereira puzzle?