"He wants me to react" - Israel Adesanya hopes to "respond with violence" against Alex Pereira for giving off Paulo Costa "vibes"

Israel Adesanya will be taking on long-time rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281 on November 12 at Madison Square Garden.

'The Last Stylebender' has built up a popular YouTube channel over the past few years, uploading vlogs about his lifestyle and training regimen.

In an episode of his 'Fight Camp' series last month, he can be seen using tennis balls to improve his reaction time. His opponent, 'Poatan', then released a video on his Instagram page that appears to mock his upcoming opponent's training methods.

In a recent interview with The AllStar, Adesanya said that he feels Pereira is giving off a similar energy to a previous opponent of the champion, Paulo Costa. During the build-up to Adesanya's fight with 'Borrachinha', plenty of trash-talk was exchanged.

'The Last Stylebender' compared 'Poatan' to Costa:

"Right now, this guy is giving me mad Costa vibes... I remember Costa was doing skits with his guys, and all that s**t. Same thing. I don't react. I'm like, 'What do you want from me?' He wants me to react, I don't react. But I will respond, and I'll respond with violence when it's time."

Watch the video below from 8:43:

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have been rivals since they faced each other in the kickboxing arena. 'Poatan' boasts a 2-0 record over 'The Last Stylebender' in kickboxing, and many feel he will be able to extend that dominance in the octagon.

However, the champion knows that this is a different sport and is optimistic of a different outcome this time around.

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Israel Adesanya says his fitness is much better than previous fights, thanks to Eugene Bareman

Israel Adesanya is less than two weeks away from his fight against Alex Pereira.

'The Last Stylebender' will be looking to make a statement against 'Poatan', as many feel that the Brazilian could be the man to defeat him.

Adesanya recently spoke to Combat TV and said that his level of fitness going into this fight has improved. The Nigerian-born New Zealander credited his head coach Eugene Bareman as the reason for his increase in fitness:

"Dan [Hooker] put it in a way, like Eugene [Bareman] shook the snow globe. The last three weeks have been WORK. I know what's gonna happen... because we're fit... We are already great fighters, but we are really fit right now. I look forward to displaying my fitness."

Watch the video below from 0:25:

Israel Adesanya has always had excellent cardio as evidenced by the many five-round fights in his UFC career. He will be hoping to push the pace even harder on November 12 and surprise some fans.