Israel Adesanya is one hell of a fighter. And he is one hell of a promoter, too.
The UFC middleweight champion released a trailer for his next defense against Alex Pereira at UFC 281, the upcoming pay-per-view event scheduled for Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Adesanya and Pereira have fought twice in kickboxing, with ‘Poatan’ defeating ‘The Last Stylebender’ by decision and KO at Glory of Heroes and Glory of Heroes 7, respectively. The losses — especially the KO — have many wondering if Pereira is the one to dethrone Adesanya in mixed martial arts. But there is more to the story, and the champion tells it in this three-minute video.
You can watch the trailer below:
“When I fought him, I thought I won the first fight,” said Adesanya. “In the second fight, he was honestly on skates. The referee saved his ass because I was about to drop him. And then in the third round, he knocks me out in his own country. That’s a beautiful story for him, but I’m still here.
“This is perfect for the storyline, leading up to everything,” continued Adesanya.
The City Kickboxing product recognizes how tough of an opponent Pereira is, showing clips of his success in the Octagon thus far. But Adesanya expects to get his hand raised and silence his doubters.
“I’m gonna shut this guy up,” said Adesanya. “I’m gonna shock the world. And he who laughs last, laughs best.”
Both men were previously in action at UFC 276 this past July. Adesanya notched his fifth defense against Jared Cannonier, while Pereira earned his championship opportunity with a stunning first-round KO of Sean Strickland. The Brazilian is now 3-0 under the UFC banner, with wins over Andreas Michailidis and Bruno Silva also among his highlights.
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