UFC 281: Israel Adesanya says Alex Pereira should've killed him in their last kickboxing fight

Israel Adesanya has asserted that Alex Pereira should've killed him in their rematch in Brazil. Additionally, 'The Last Stylebender' warned that he'll crush Pereira in their upcoming fight.

In their first kickboxing bout that transpired back in 2016, Pereira defeated Adesanya via unanimous decision. Their second kickboxing showdown took place in 2017, with Pereira winning via third-round KO. The Adesanya-Pereira trilogy matchup will be an MMA fight, not a kickboxing bout. The trilogy is expected to headline this weekend's UFC 281 event.

During UFC 281 media day, Israel Adesanya was asked about his recent tweet wherein he posted a video from the 'Saw' movie franchise. A journalist indicated that the antagonist 'Jigsaw' from the 'Saw' franchise is known for punishing people for their past misdeeds. They further insinuated that perhaps 'Izzy' plans to make Pereira pay for his past actions against him.

Adesanya responded by clarifying that he didn't specifically think along those lines while posting the tweet. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the aforesaid hypothesis does make sense in regards to his rivalry with Pereira.

The journalist also noted that Adesanya added "#Law15" alongside the tweet. Law 15 from Robert Greene's book 'The 48 Laws of Power' instructs readers to "crush your enemy totally." Upon being questioned on whether he's heading into UFC 281 with that mindset, Adesanya stated:

"Yeah, a hundred percent because, yeah. Crush your enemies totally. If you leave any sign of life, they'll come back for revenge. Should've killed me in Brazil. But yeah, now it's my time, and I'll crush him totally. Or maybe, I'll just jab and leg-kick him. We'll see."

Watch Adesanya discuss the topic at 0:48 in the video below:

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Anthony Smith on how the Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira trilogy fight could play out

Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is scheduled to defend his belt against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 on November 12th. In a recent edition of Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith broke down the Adesanya-Pereira matchup.

'Lionheart' opined that Alex Pereira is the only UFC middleweight who can beat Israel Adesanya on the feet. He highlighted that 'Poatan' is taller, significantly bigger, and more powerful than 'Izzy.' Predicting how the fight could go, Smith said:

"What I am afraid of is that Izzy is going to be so focused and hyper-aware of the power shot that he's never going to put himself out of position. I don't think either one of them is going to wrestle. I think Izzy's going to stick and move, hit him from the outside, and fight at range."

Watch Smith's assessment at 11:26 in the video below: