The UFC 281 title-fight main event between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is a unique one.
Yes, Adesanya is the middleweight champion, but how could he possibly feel like the man to beat given his history with Pereira? Pereira owns two wins over Adesanya in two previous kickboxing bouts, one of them being a knockout, and it’s clear those two losses still weigh heavy on the champ.
Heading into UFC 281, Adesanya has flat-out said “f*ck the belt” and that simply beating Pereira on this biggest stage is “what matters.”
“If there’s ever a fight I have to win, it’s this one,” Adesanya said.
It’s not often that we’ve heard Adesanya humble himself like this before a fight, so what do we think? Is he in the right head space for this matchup, or could he be putting too much pressure on himself?
Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Simon Samano give their thoughts with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.
“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.
