Israel Adesanya on Alex Pereira rematch at UFC 287: 'This is my last shot'
Israel Adesanya has shifted his mindset going into his title fight rematch with Alex Pereira.
Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) will look to reclaim the middleweight title from Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) when the pair run things back in the UFC 287 headliner on April 8 in Miami.
Pereira rallied to knock out Adesanya in Round 5 to capture the middleweight title at UFC 281, and “The Stylebender” is seeking revenge. When asked if he has a different mindset going into his rematch with Pereira, Adesanya said it definitely has changed.
“I’m hunting, and I mean that in every sense of the word,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “The mindset is different, definitely. Even (coach) Eugene (Bareman) and I are on the same page. The mindset is definitely different.
“I like it because it puts it all on me, and it’s kind of poetic in a way. One life: Roll the dice. This is my last shot, and I’m going to give it all I’ve got in every sense of the word.”
The loss to Pereira marked Adesanya’s first at 185 pounds. Prior to that, Adesanya defended his title five times with wins over Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier, Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero. His lone career loss came in a failed attempt to become dual-champion against then-light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz in March 2021.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.