Alex Pereira shares his thoughts on trash talk and padwork ahead of UFC 287

Alex Pereira shared his thoughts on trash talk and padwork as he prepares to make his first middleweight title defense in a rematch with Israel Adesanya this Saturday at UFC 287.

During episode #2 of UFC 287: Embedded, Pereira opened up about the preparation for his upcoming rematch with Adesanya, which will be the fourth time the two have competed in combat sports. He mentioned that he enjoys the training and competition aspect, but isn't one that likes trash talking too much.

He said:

"I do like the training, I do like fighting, but this trash talk part, I have a hard time doing it. I don't like doing it. My thing is to train and to do what you just saw. That's what I love and what I know how to do. I do it very well. Now, talking...I am not too good at it...Call me out! Even I am scared of myself." [1:03 - 1:35]

'Poatan' also described his approach when sparring with his training partner. He mentioned that although he's not intending to hurt his sparring partner, he is preparing himself to be punched, saying:

"We don't play during training. We are two professional fighters who are there not to hurt each other, but to land some punches on each other. We got to practice. If you are doing a test at the school, you have to practice writing, then take the test. We are different. We punch each other at the gym to prepare for the real test, like this one happening on April 8th." [0:32 - 0:56]

It will be interesting to see whether Pereira can complete the sweep over Adesanya and defeat him for a second time in MMA and a fourth time overall.

Check out the full video:

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How many KO/TKO wins does Alex Pereira have over Israel Adesaya?

Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya have had quite the rivalry in their respective combat sports careers.

Their rivalry began at Glory Kickboxing 1 in 2016, where the Brazilian earned a unanimous decision win. They fought twice more and both fights ended via KO/TKO.

'Poatan' defeated 'Izzy' via knockout in their kickboxing rematch. Adesanya was in control of the fight, but got dropped with a powerful left-hook that the Brazilian is known for.

This past November, they added another chapter to their rivalry as they met inside the octagon at UFC 281. Like their second encounter, 'Izzy' was in-control and on his way to earning a decision win, but the 35-year-old rallied and defeated him via fifth-round TKO to become the new middleweight champion.