NEW YORK – Alex Pereira is confident his business with Israel Adesanya will reach a conclusion at UFC 281 one way or the other.
If Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) follows through on his promise to claim the UFC middleweight title from Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) on Saturday, he would be up 3-0 in their head-to-head matchups between kickboxing and MMA competition. “The Last Stylebender” has six consecutive title defenses and would be warranted to get a rematch if he drops the strap, and Pereira agrees. Whether Adesanya would actually want the fight, however, is a different story.
“It makes no difference who they want to put after (to challenge for the belt),” Pereira told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at UFC 281 media day. “He deserves it, but after this fight he isn’t going to want it.”
