Israel Adesanya is working as hard as he ever has in preparation for his UFC 281 main event against Alex Pereira.
One thing that can’t be denied is the commitment Israel Adesanya gives to his craft in mixed martial arts.
‘Stylebender’ has spent the last few years carving out a real legacy for himself and in his next bout, he has the chance to put one of his biggest demons to rest.
On November 12 at UFC 281, Adesanya will defend the UFC middleweight championship against Alex Pereira in the main event at Madison Square Garden.
Read more: UFC 281: Fight Card, tickets, date and more
The NYC showdown has been a long time coming and seemed inevitable after International Fight Week, which saw both Izzy and ‘Poatan’ register big wins in the division.
The next step has seemingly always been for the two to run back their previous encounters and even though everyone knew it was plausible when Pereira signed, few could’ve imagined it would happen this quickly.
One of the biggest issues that Adesanya needs to overcome is the difference in power between the two, and although that may sound harsh to the champion, it’s more of a compliment to his Brazilian challenger.
The precision of the middleweight king is something that will bode well for him but he also needs to be physically prepared for the challenge that lies ahead. In the following training montage, you can clearly see that he’s doing everything in his power to match the intensity of his rival.
Video: Israel Adesanya trains hard for Alex Pereira
His trainer, Abiola Beckley, previewed what they were working on.
“We’re just getting prepped for the actual fight specific stuff, where we start doing the actual fast movements on the hands, fast movements on the legs. Yeah, you’ll see the difference, man is going to be flying.”
Out for revenge
The big aim for Israel Adesanya here is obviously to retain his title, but he’ll also be hungry to prove a point to all of his critics.
Read more: UFC 281: Israel Adesanya praises 'perfect' story ahead of Alex Pereira fight
Pereira holds a 2-0 record over Israel in combat sports thanks to the victories he has over him from their kickboxing days. That isn’t going to mean much when they step into the Octagon but from a psychological point of view, it could play a big role.
Adesanya has been accused of playing it safe in his last few victories and this time around, he can’t afford to do that.