Sean O'Malley believes Israel Adesanya will utilize his ground game to defeat Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya's return to the octagon will come against Alex Pereira at UFC 287 this weekend. The No.1-ranked middleweight will look to reclaim the title that he lost at UFC 281. Sean O'Malley recently shared that he believes 'The Last Stylebender' will utilize his wrestling to finish his opponent.

Speaking on his podcast, TimboSugarShow, the No.2-ranked bantamweight stated:

"Let's get it, Izzy. Finish, baby. I think he's going to come out and wrestle. I feel like he's going to come out, he's got a couple maybe good takedowns - come out, wrestle, put him on his back, really get him thinking. Maybe [Pereira] won't be able to march forward as much if he does have some kind of - who knows? You never f**king know."

Sean O'Malley added:

"Some people have really good little things that they show in the gym that's never really been done in a fight. They're really good at it in the gym. They hit it a lot, but they've never done it in a fight - and then boom, they pull it out."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments on Israel Adesanya's return below (starting at the 26:50 mark):

Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281. 'The Last Stylebender' was ahead on all three judges' scorecards before being defeated via a fifth-round knockout. 'Poatan' also holds two kickboxing victories over the No.1-ranked middleweight.

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Israel Adesanya's return: 'The Last Stylebender' expresses shock over being UFC 287 betting favorite

Israel Adesanya is a -135 favorite to reclaim the middleweight title against Alex Pereira at UFC 287, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. While speaking with TMZ Sports, 'The Last Stylebender' recently expressed his surprise at the odds, stating:

"I am surprised by that, to be honest, because I thought these bookies were not as smart as they are. I’m surprised they actually picked me as the favorite because I am the more polished fighter, but he’s just the guy that’s got the tools, he’s got that nuke. Only a few fighters in history have that."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:

While Adesanya is the more successful mixed martial artist, Pereira has had his number thus far. He has won all three bouts, two of which came in kickboxing, however, each was closely contested. 'The Last Stylebender' will enter UFC 287 as the challenger for the first time in nearly four years.