Israel Adesanya's coach lied about getting the UFC star a fight following his brutal kickboxing KO loss to Alex Pereira in 2017.
'The Last Stylebender' will face arguably his biggest UFC middleweight title defence yet when he takes on former two-time kickboxing rival Pereira this Saturday night at Madison Square Garden headlining UFC 281. Adesanya has already faced the Brazilian twice during his time in the professional kickboxing ranks, losing on both occasions in 2016 and 2017 with the second one seeing him knocked out cold for the first time.
Adesanya took time away from competitive fighting action before returning and going on a winning streak in MMA where he eventually signed for the UFC. And the 33-year-old's coach Eugene Bareman insisted he rejected opportunities for his star to fight to serve as his own medical suspension for fighters.
