"He's a scary human being" - Sean O'Malley describes meeting Alex Pereira, predicts showdown against Israel Adesanya at UFC 281

Israel Adesanya will look to defend his middleweight title for the sixth time at UFC 281. No.1-ranked bantamweight Sean O'Malley recently gave his prediction for the No.2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter's upcoming fight against former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira.

Speaking on his podcast, TimboSugarShow, Sean O'Malley stated:

"It drives me crazy when people start talking about Izzy's last performances, how they're 'not entertaining,'" said O'Malley. "He's been defending the belt, he's been an active champion, he's fighting the number one guys, he's fighting the next guys in line and sometimes fights aren't the most fun, but he's still continuing to put on performances for the fans."

O'Malley added:

"I like Alex. I met him once, didn't really talk, I don't think he speaks much English," he added. "He's giant, he's f**king terrifying, he's a scary human being - but I'd love to see Izzy win. With those little gloves and those guys are both that high-level strikers, that's a f**king coin flip, but I do agree with you, I think Izzy has more tricks, especially in an octagon."

While Adesanya lost both kickboxing fights against Pereira, including the only knockout of his combat sports career, they have never faced in mixed martial arts. Adesanya will be looking to avenge those two losses, while Pereira will look to become the first middleweight to defeat Adesanya.

Watch Sean O'Malley discuss Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira below (starting at the 17:50 mark):

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Israel Adesanya unfazed by fans rooting for him to fail

Israel Adesanya has heard the noise from fans rooting for him to fail. The UFC Middleweight Champion, however, is unfazed, as he believes his greatness is the cause.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Adesanya used several mixed martial arts legends to drive home his point:

"It's because you're great. It happened to Anderson Silva, it's happened to GSP, even happened to Jones at one point," said Adesanya. "When you're as great as I am and you're on top for so long, they want to shake the snow globe a little bit. They want to see 'what if he loses, what's going to happen?'

Although Adesanya has dominated the middleweight division, four of his five title defenses, including his last three, have come via unanimous decision. In his upcoming UFC 281 fight, there should be far more action, as Pereira is likely to bring the fight to him.

Watch Israel Adesanya's comments on fans rooting for him to lose below (starting at the 3:58 mark)