Israel Adesanya has claimed he wants to turn his upcoming UFC title fight with Alex Pereira into a "horror movie".
'The Last Stylebender' will take on one of the biggest challenges of his UFC career next weekend when he faces former kickboxing rival Pereira at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Adesanya has already lost twice to Pereira during their kickboxing careers, with the Brazilian becoming the first man to knock his rival out cold in their rematch five years ago.
This time round, it will be different stakes for the pair, who come into the Octagon in good form, with Adesanya yet to lose at 185lb since joining the UFC. The Nigerian star has promised to be a nightmare for his opponent and expects their fight to play out differently due to his superior skills in MMA than in kickboxing.
"I want to make this a horror movie," Adesanya told TMZ Sports when assessing his upcoming battle with Pereira. "I want to be the first person he sees when he wakes up. I want to make sure I'm right in his line of sight so he's looking at me. Even though the way you defend is different, the way you attack is different. It's kinda stupid sometimes. No disrespect to kickboxing.
"I always felt my striking was better suited for MMA, for the glove size but also the way, the freeness of attacking, I can clinch someone and trip 'em down. I can elbow, things like that and I know he's good at stuff like that as well but I've been doing this a lot longer."
Pereira has made a rapid rise prior to challenging for Adesanya's title next weekend, having won his first three fights since joining the UFC, including a big stoppage win over Sean Strickland last time out. The champion has faced heavy criticism for his performances in recent outings prior to his upcoming clash, with fans accusing the star of being "boring", including former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo.
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However, Adesanya has refused to entertain the prospect of trying to reach the final bell and has made a vow to pick up the stoppage against Pereira. "I'm really excited to have someone, finally, who, after the first round or second round they realise they cant do s*** and [don't] just want to be defensive," Adesanya said ahead of the fight. "I'm excited to have someone who's going to attack me and try and finish me.
"This is the story of the fight because he's done it before in the past in kickboxing, so is he going to get knocked out or am I going to get knocked out? I’ve rebirthed myself. I’ve rebirthed it, and I just feel like I want to have fun. That’s the goal. But this fight, I’m gonna have fun. That’s the ultimate goal. And when I have fun, I’m the best in the world.”
