Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend his title against “early-on-in-the-game” Alex Pereira on Saturday.
The Nigerian-born fighter will be looking to defend his 21-1 MMA record against Pereira, who only made his UFC debut on November 6 2021. The 35-year-old Brazilian is a retired kickboxer and boasts a 6-1 MMA overall record.
Adesanya told ESPN that he does not think his opponent is his toughest challenge.
“He’s very one dimensional. He’s early on in this game as well, so I’m glad to get him now. I don’t know who he has in his corner,” said Adesanya.
“I know he has Glover [Teixeira] and his kickboxing coach. I don’t know what their background is, I don’t really mind, I just worry about myself. I definitely know he’s not as smart as me in the cage, I know for a fact.”
Pereira goes into the fight coming from a defeat to Sean Strickland, while Adesanya, known as “The Last Stylebender” in the game, came out victorious in his last match against Jared Cannonier.
The UFC 281 bout will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City early on Sunday (South African time).
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