Israel Adesanya shares final prediction for Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313: "He's gonna knock him out in the fourth or fifth round"

Alex Pereira has not entered the octagon since last October when he defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. via fourth-round TKO to defend his light heavyweight title for the third time in a six-month span. He is set to make his return this weekend as he faces Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in a highly anticipated matchup.

Israel Adesanya, who once engaged in a heated rivalry with 'Poatan', shared his prediction for the upcoming clash. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the two-time middleweight champion stated:

"Ankalaev, speed, but he'll have to catch Alex when he made a mistake so counters. If he catches him with a counter, it could be a dangerous night. But I just think it's going to go leg kicks, leg kicks, leg kicks, left hook. Alex Pereira by, I'm going to go KO. It's just, yeah... Over two and a half rounds, like four or five. He's going to knock him out in the fourth or fifth round."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (14:23):

Adesanya remains the only fighter to defeat Pereira in the octagon. The light heavyweight champion has engaged in a heated back-and-forth with Ankalaev leading up to their clash.

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Israel Adesanya does not regret trash talk that led Alex Pereira to the UFC

Alex Pereira's rivalry with Israel Adesanya predates their time in the UFC, as the stars had two battles in GLORY Kickboxing. 'The Last Stylebender' recently reflected on some of his previous comments, where he labeled 'Poatan' as a guy in the bar. He responded to a fan who asked if he regrets the remark, stating:

"I don't regret it, no, because I was right. And also, I don't because it motivated him. Again, I love this f**king story, it's just the best. He's actually at a bar drinking and he's like 'Chama', boom, decides to become an MMA fighter."

Adesanya continued:

"Well, he was already an MMA fighter, but decides to like take it seriously and get to the UFC and fight me - chase me. But again, like I said, he chased me. I didn't do that. But I don't regret it, no. I'm glad I did because it motivated him and look what we've created. I created a monster."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:

Adesanya's comments led Pereira to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, where he has become one of the biggest stars in the sport. The pair shared the octagon at UFC 281, with the Brazilian winning via fifth-round TKO before Adesanya won via second-round knockout at UFC 287.