Confident Israel Adesanya speaks out ahead of UFC 287

Israel Adesanya's return to the octagon will come against Alex Pereira at UFC 287. 'The Last Stylebender' lost his middleweight title to his former kickboxing rival at UFC 281. Despite his inability to overcome 'Poatan' thus far, the No.1-ranked middleweight explained why his confidence has not wavered.

During a recent appearance on DC & RC, the former middleweight champion stated:

"F**k all the bulls**t. He and I know, f**k the fans, the reporters, all that. He and I know exactly what I can do to him. I know what he can do to me. Each time I've fought him, I'm always winning until I'm not. If it was like say he just beat my ass from f**king bell to bell then f**k it. I'd probably still be this confident, I'd still talk s**t, but it's not been the case."

Israel Adesanya continued:

"I'm always beating him, I'm always dominating him until he finds that way to win. That gives me a challenge. I love challenges. It gives me a challenge to rise to the occasion. Example - this weekend, it gives me an opportunity to remind and show people how great I am. I love being in this position because not everybody can be in this position and thrive. I can."

Watch Israel Adesanya's comments on his confidence below (starting at the 51:15 mark):

Israel Adesanya has been unable to defeat Alex Pereira in three bouts, two of which came in kickboxing. 'The Last Stylebender' will enter UFC 287 as the middleweight challenger for the first time in nearly four years.

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Israel Adesanya's return: Matt Brown believes UFC 287 is a legacy fight for 'The Last Stylebender'

Israel Adesanya will look to finally overcome Alex Pereira at UFC 287. Speaking on his podcast, The Fighters vs. The Writer, welterweight Matt Brown claimed that the bout is a legacy fight for 'The Last Stylebender', stating:

"This is his legacy here. He has to beat Alex Pereira for his legacy. It's that important. This is what changes his entire legacy all together. This single fight, and this is probably his last chance at it. If Pereira beats him, maybe he can work his way back to the top but he's working his way back to a third fight against a guy that beat him twice. I feel like that's a tough call for the promoters to put together."

Check out Matt Brown's comments on Israel Adesanya below (starting at the 42:00 mark):

Adesanya's three losses to Pereira have all been closely contested. In their only mixed martial arts bout, the former middleweight champion was ahead three rounds to one on all three judges' scorecards before his opponent picked up a fifth-round TKO victory.