MIAMI – Israel Adesanya doesn’t feel like he’s being fully appreciated ahead of his return to the octagon.
The former UFC middleweight champion will attempt to reclaim the title on Saturday when he takes on rival Alex Pereira in an immediate championship rematch. The bout goes down in the main event of UFC 287, which takes place at Kaseya Center and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
“Not many people get the opportunity to show how great they are, to rise to the occasion when all the odds are stoked against them and people are counting them out,” Adesanya told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC 287 media day. “And for me, this fight, I feel like the underdog. I feel like everyone is counting me out. I feel like because of the result of the last fight, goldfish memory. They forgot what I’ve done in this game. It’s time to remind people how great I am.”
