ISRAEL ADESANYA admits his showdown with Alex Pereira is his "last shot" at settling the score with the Brazilian.
The Nigerian-born New Zealander will bid to reclaim the middleweight title from Poatan a week on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC 287 in Miami.
Adesanya's last-gasp defeat to Pereira last November was his third straight loss to the former two-division Glory champion, who beat him twice in the kickboxing promotion.
And he admits their Miami melee will likely be his last chance saloon to get one over his long-time rival.
Adesanya said on his YouTube channel: "This is kind of poetic, in a way. This is my last shot, and I'm gonna give it all I got."
Pereira has been relentless with his trolling of the Kiwi since ending his reign as 185lb king - even poking fun at his reaction videos on YouTube.
During a recent interview with The Rock, Adesanya said: “That was weird, bro.
“You know what’s weird, though? For me, it’s like, I don’t really care.
"But, one reaction he gave, it panned to like some stuffed animals where he goes, ‘Ah’, and for me I’m like, ‘Who the f**k do you think you are?’
A fired-up Adesanya continued: “Like I don’t look at him and go, ‘Why you wearing that f**king face paint and crying on the ground like you’re a tiger?’
“I don’t care, that’s what you want to do, that’s what you do. If that gives you power, that gives you power.
"But, the fact that he looks at me and the way I live my life?
"I wasn’t even doing nothing about him. I’m living my life and it upsets him.
“That’s very telling, that speaks a lot about him than it does about me.
“That was him showing his hand already, and I like that. I like that.
"This is some The Last Dance s**t. I like holding onto things like that.
"This I like. I’ll note that. He’ll find out later on.”
Comments