UFC champion Israel Adesanya has explained how he’s had a change of heart regarding his upcoming fight against Alex Pereira.

Over the course of the last few years, Israel Adesanya has made it his mission to establish himself as one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC. Aside from a hiccup at 205 pounds, he’s been able to do that by cleaning out the middleweight division.

‘The Last Stylebender’ isn’t afraid of any challenge that comes his way and while he may have caught some heat as a result of how his recent fights have gone, that hasn’t deterred the 33-year-old.

His next opponent looks set to be Alex Pereira, a man who has made quite the splash since first appearing in the promotion last year.

‘Poatan’ is just 3-0 in the UFC and yet he’s already been able to earn a crack at the belt as a result of his vicious knockout over Sean Strickland during International Fight Week.

In addition to that, the Brazilian also holds two victories over Adesanya from their kickboxing days - one via decision and one via knockout.

In a recent video uploaded to his personal YouTube channel, Adesanya gave his thoughts on the contest now that it’s been confirmed.

“Next one, I wanna see Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya. Yeah, I look forward to that fight. I never actually looked forward to that fight, wasn’t even caring about it. But, now that it’s here, that’s the dream matchup. I like that.”

NYC awaits

Israel Adesanya is a proven draw for the UFC but he has yet to really reach that ‘next level’ we associate with some of the biggest names in the game. If he wants to get there, he’ll need to put in a standout performance, and he couldn’t have picked a better place to do it in his next outing.

The two rivals will collide at Madison Square Garden on November 12 in what will serve as the main event of UFC 281.

If Adesanya can get the finish and finally put this saga to bed, it could be huge for his star power in the sport.