Alex Pereira Says Israel Adesanya Wants Him to “Discipline” Izzy Like His Father Used to Do

Israel Adesanya wasted no time to call for a rematch against his toughest opponent, Alex Pereira, after his UFC 281 loss. But ‘Poatan’ claims to know why the Kiwi fighter decided to do so in such a short period. He discussed Adesanya’s motive behind the rematch during UFC 287 media day.

Pereira and Adesanya will fight with each other for the fourth time in their professional fighting careers. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is adamant that he needs to win this fight and isn’t concerned about the belt. Fans may not agree with him, but he’s still determined to do so.

Alex Pereira discusses Israel Adesanya’s decision for a rematch so soon

To reveal the reason behind Izzy’s motive for the rematch, ‘Poatan’ gave an example by reiterating an instance from his childhood. He said, “When I was a kid and I used to do something wrong, like fighting in the street, my mom would say, ‘I will tell your father.” Pereira added, “My father was strict. So when he got back home, he would discipline me. And I was scared of him, but I couldn’t wait for my father to get home and discipline me and get it over with.”

He believes Adesanya has taken the fight so soon due to the fact that he wants this rivalry to end as soon as possible. “So that’s what I think it is. He [Adesanya] wants to get over the inevitable, now, as I used to do when I was a kid,” said the middleweight champion.

Adesanya is the fan favorite for the UFC 287 headliner

In a recent interview with TMZ, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was notified that he was the favorite going into the title rematch this weekend. Adesanya seemed surprised to hear that. But he mentioned that he was a more polished fighter than the Brazilian ace, Alex Pereira. However, this news certainly didn’t make him underestimate his UFC 287 opponent.

Adesanya stated that his coach, Eugene Bareman, believed he was lucky to fight someone like Alex Pereira. It was because Bareman claimed such opponents come once in a fighter’s career. Adesanya also mentions that someone like Pereira could help elevate his opponents to the next level.

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Fans cannot wait for the fight. Adesanya recently sported a dog collar during the pre-fight press conference and claimed that the “Dawg” in him is about to be unleashed in Miami this weekend. We will have to wait and see what transpires at UFC 287.

Will Adesanya overcome Pereira? Let us know in the comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: UFC 287: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya- date, time, venue, tickets, and live stream