Israel Adesanya’s mental approach has evolved as he prepares for the rematch with Alex Pereira that will decide his title. When Adesanya and Pereira square off against one another in the main event of UFC 287 on April 8 in Miami, Adesanya will be looking to win the middleweight championship back from Pereira. In UFC 281, Pereira came back to win the middleweight title with a knockout victory over Adesanya in Round 5. “The Stylebender” is now out for retribution for this loss. Adesanya responded in the affirmative when he was questioned about whether or not he is approaching his rematch with Pereira with a different frame of mind.
“I’m hunting, and I mean that in every sense of the word,” Adesanya said 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.”
At 185 pounds, Adesanya suffered his first defeat, which came at the hands of Pereira. Before that, Adesanya successfully defended his title five times, claiming victories over Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier, Paulo Costa, and Yoel Romero along the way. His only professional defeat before that, came in March of 2021 when he challenged light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and lost.