"Bulking will not help that chin" - Fans react to Israel Adesanya weighing 215lbs ahead of Alex Pereira fight

Israel Adesanya will face former kickboxing nemesis Alex Pereira in the quest for the sixth defense of his middleweight title. The middleweight champion recently revealed his weight ahead of their scheduled bout at UFC 281, which was met with some barbed reactions from MMA fans.

Who wouldn't fancy a good old-fashioned rematch saga ignited by vengeance? Such is the narrative of the fight going into UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 12.

'Poatan' has two victories over Israel Adesanya in kickboxing, which includes a vicious knockout that qualifies the Brazilian as the only fighter to finish 'The Last Stylebender' in his decorated combat sports career.

Adesanya appears to be coming into the fight more bulked up than usual. More often than not, fighters fall back on this approach when their opponents carry dynamite in their punches. The approach seems cognizable for someone whose nickname literally translates to 'stone hands'.

Adesanya has received flack from the MMA community for his lustreless performances in the recent past. He was mocked by fans in a post made by Instagram page @brwlrz showcasing the Nigerian native's current weight, which was initially posted on his IG Stories.

One fan claimed that bulking up will not pay dividends for the UFC middleweight champion:

"Bulking will not help that chin, and will not increase his power on the level of the unreal power of poatan.... Nothing will help him November 12, poatan is coming and there is nothing he can do about it."

Another pointed out that Israel Adesanya's chin will be tested in the upcoming fight:

"His chin is about to get tested. The left hook of Pereira is like getting hit with a baseball bat."

Yet another fan offered their explanation for their weight gain:

"Oh I see how it is....Izzy is getting prepped to be tested. He's working on the power to try and keep Perreria off of him."

Check out some of the best fan reactions below:

Fans react to Israel Adesanya weighing 215lbs ahead of Alex Pereira fight [via @brwlrz on Instagram]

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Israel Adesanya claims that he's thrilled to fight someone who will bring the fight

'The Last Stylebender' has landed the opportunity to seek retribution for his two losses in kickboxing to rival Alex Pereira. The fight will go down at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2022.

Israel Adesanya has been exposed to criticism from the MMA community for his uninspired performances in some of his previous outings. While he has borne the brunt of the fans, 'The Last Stylebender' claims that he shouldn't be the only one blamed for those fights.

The Nigerian-born combatant claims that his opponents failed to push the action once they realized they couldn't stand his power. Adesanya claims that such wouldn't be the case with Pereira, and he's excited to face someone who will look to inflict damage:

''After he beat me in Brazil, I never had any plans of trying to get revenge or anything like that, because I don't hold onto things, I let go of things. I'm telling you, the universe has presented this to me and it's right there, it's the perfect alley-oop, and I'm going to slam that b**ch. I'm excited to have someone who's going to attack me, who's going to actually try and finish me.''

Watch the interview on ESPN MMA below: