Israel Adesanya Responds as His Coach Claims UFC’s Mike Tyson – Alex Pereira – “One of the Hardest Things” to Overcome for Any Opponent

There is a thing about rivalries: they don’t die. Some athletes just meet a nemesis and their to-and-fro fights keep fans glued. Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, Jon Jones, and Daniel Cormier, and Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are some of the greatest rivalries in the UFC. A recent addition to the list is the Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira rivalry. Across sports, these two have faced each other four times. They started with the kickboxing promotion in Glory, where the Brazilian defeated him twice. Israel Adesanya moved to the UFC and had a great run to the belt. He even defended his title  4 times, but met Pereira in the fifth fight.

A rematch has now been announced for UFC 287, though. Another opportunity has knocked on ‘The Last Stylebender’s doors. Adesanya will look to break his losing streak and put one on the board against his own name. The heat is on, but the former middleweight champion’s coach has made some statements that showed how much respect Pereira has earned from the opposition camp. Israel Adesanya has tweeted in response, “Lucky me”.

Israel Adesanya replies to his coach’s statement

Adesanya explained what he thought about Alex Pereira. He said, “We understand the magnitude of what we are trying to do. The hardest thing to do in the world is to fight someone like Pereira. For a start, people like Pereira don’t exist. You will fight one or two guys. Maybe if you are lucky. You will find one George Foreman, one Mike Tyson, and One Alex Pereira.”

It was very clear that the Adesanya camp had high regard for the ‘Poatan’ and they will meticulously prepare for the rematch.

Read More: “What Matters Is 4×0”: Alex Pereira Hits Back at Israel Adesanya’s Comments

The 33-year-old’s coach further added how the Brazilian had some superpowers that they had to respect and make strategies to counter the ‘Poatan’s powers. He added, “The hardest thing to do in sports is because even though you see them having unclear victories and they scrape past victory, they have a special gift and that special gift is powerful.”

Sticking to the same subject, he also mentioned, “The ability to take you out with one shot is something that has to be respected. It’s a power, and it’s a superpower. Not everybody has. Like I said, you are lucky to face someone like that in your life so you understand and maybe see what we can do”

Pereira and Adesanya meet at UFC 287

Adesanya and his coach might be aware of the fact that Alex Pereira has some special powers, but that does not mean that they will not try to win. ‘The Last Stylebender’ will come into the re-match with vengeance. He will have to over-turn history and all the past fights to start a new chapter in this ongoing rivalry.

UFC 287 will not only feature Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya, Jorge Masvidal, and Gilbert Burns too will be against each other in the cage. As the event comes closer, the excitement is building.

Who would you be cheering for? Let us know.

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