Isreal Adesanya on the hunt for UFC middleweight gold against Alex Pereira
- Doug Mattushek
- 30 March 2023
Israel Adesanya admits he has a different mindset going into his title fight against UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira.
The Nigerian-born superstar one on the middleweight King having successfully defended his crown six times. But when he met Pereira at UFC 281, Adesanya was stopped in the final round, marking his first loss in the division.
Now as the challenger, Adesanya is adopting a hunter mindset as he seeks to regain his past glory.
"I'm hunting, and I mean that in every sense of the word," said the 33-year-old on his YouTube channel.
"The mindset is different, definitely. Even [coach] Eugene [Bareman] and I are on the same page. The mindset is definitely different.
"I like it because it puts it all on me, and it's kind of poetic in a way. One life: Roll the dice. This is my last shot, and I'm going to give it all I've got in every sense of the word."
The "last shot" Adesanya refers to is another indication that Stylebender is not long for the world of MMA. In February, he hinted at retirement and another loss to Pereira may only accelerate his plans outside the sport.
Meanwhile, in the other fight camp, Pereira has enlisted the help of former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.
In a video posted on Instagram, Liddell was in the gym with Pereira while another former champion, Glover Teixeira, was helping his fellow Brazilian with grappling moves in the cage.
Adesanya v Pereira is the co-main event alongside Gilbert Burns v Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 on 8 April in Miami, Florida.
