Michael Bisping lays down Israel Adesanya's gameplan against Alex Pereira at UFC 281

Michael Bisping believes fans are going to see a defensive masterclass from Israel Adesanya when he steps into the octagon against Alex Pereira.

UFC 281's main event pits longtime rivals Adesanya and Pereira for the middleweight title. The pair's history dates back to their time as professional kickboxers. 'Poatan' walked away victorious twice, but the second fight was a flush left hook KO. The knockout loss for 'The Last Stylebender' remains the only time he has been finished in his professional combat sports career.

According to 'The Count', Adesanya won't take any major risks to try and defeat his Brazilian opponent. Instead, Bisping is confident that 'Izzy' is going to take his time and pick his shots rather than go for the kill, which he believes Pereira will be doing:

"You better bet your bottom dollar he's [Israel Adesanya] going to be defensive against a guy that beat him twice at his own game. Ofcourse as we know, one time knocked him out. Therefore, I think Izzy is going to take his time and not rush forward. Listen, he got knocked out and he got slapped with 12 ounce gloves. These are 4 ounce gloves and they are very unforgiving. That is going to be in Izzy's mind."

Catch Bisping's UFC 281 predictions here:

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Israel Adesanya's coach explains the different pressure UFC 281's fight camp has brought

City Kickboxing's talents will be on full display this weekend as four competitors from the gym are set to face off in the octagon. Israel Adesanya headlines the card and will be joined by Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell and Carlos Ulberg, who are also competing in the same pay-per-view event.

In an interview with Submission Radio, head coach Eugene Bareman explained the different approaches to training during UFC 281's fight camp. According to the award-winning coach, fighters stepping into the octagon off the back of a loss adds another psychological challenge to their preparation:

"Brad's coming off two losses. Dan's coming off losses. Carlos just started a new contract and to start his new contract he's got a real, real good - maybe a fighter that is flying under the radar a little bit, but we've studied him dilligently and he's a very, very good opponent for Carlos. And then, obviously Israel Adesanya is going to fight one of the best strikers in the world."

Bareman added:

"As coaches and as a team, we have felt the pressure, but we feel the pressure every time. What makes us good at what we do, and some would say amongst the best at what we do, is that we know how to turn that pressure into something else... There's been a lot of extra pressure that we've felt compared to other fight nights, but we've embraced it and used it."

Catch the full interview here: