Israel Adesanya believes Alex Pereira's leg kicks stopped his "movement" which saw him stopped in his UFC title defeat last year.
The Nigerian star lost his UFC middleweight title after being stopped in the final round by bitter rival Pereira last year who capped off his remarkable rise in the division. 'Poatan' got the better of Adesanya twice during their time in the professional kickboxing rankings, and will be hoping to do so again in their immediate rematch at UFC 287 this weekend in Miami.
Adesanya was performing well in the rounds early on in the fight but struggled to hold up against the power of the Brazilian in the championship round who managed to close the show. And 'The Last Stylebender' has put this down to a nerve injury in his leg which Pereira inflicted earlier in the fight.
"[The leg kicks] were just like snappy ones, but I think the second one that landed properly, I stepped into it [and] I felt like the nerves got struck," Adesanya said when reviewing their first UFC meeting during a video on his YouTube channel. "Like a guitar chord almost, I just felt the vibration like an electric shock. I was still able to control the round and do what I do.
"In Round 2, I'm controlling, that's when my leg started to drag a little bit, my left leg. [I was like] what the f**k. Like [when] I was trying to plant it, and it felt weird. So I was against the fence a little bit more, he hit me a little bit more... His leg was compromised as well, but mine, he actually affected the movement by striking the nerve."
It will be a tough test for Adesanya who will now step straight back into the fire after a small break over the festive period, with revenge the motivation to make his quick return. Pereira could defend his title and even vacate the division with eyes on becoming a double-champion given his significant size advantage over his rival.
Do you think Israel Adesanya can get revenge against Alex Pereira? Let us know in the comments section below
Adesanya initially was angered by the nature of the late stoppage in their first fight but later conceded he had suffered an injury to his peroneal nerve in his leg. And he believes the fight was going in his way, which he hopes he will be able to repeat this weekend given his status on the scorecards.
He said following the first clash: "The fight was going my way. He hit my peroneal nerve so that's why my footwork was compromised. 'Cause I was wondering, even when I tripped and did the backwards roll, I had to do a roly-poly 'cause I was like, 'Sh*t!' I just tripped over and it's not like me, so kudos to him for investing in those calf kicks. 'Cause yeah, it cost me."
