Israel Adesanya has vowed to turn his potential UFC title rematch with Alex Pereira into a "bloodbath".
'The Last Stylebender' was defending his UFC middleweight crown against Pereira at UFC 281, but came up short after being stopped in the final round in New York. It was the third time Adesanya had lost to 'Poatan' during his fighting career, having suffered two defeats during their stint in kickboxing.
It is expected Adesanya will now receive an immediate shot at redemption in 2023, with both men open to a second meeting. And the former champion intends to capitalise on his latest opportunity, and plans to beat his opponent for the entire 25 minute fight duration.
“I’m excited for this chapter," he said in his first YouTube video since defeat to Pereira. "I like the way the story goes. I made him bloody I made him bleed. If you can make him bleed, you can kill him. This one, I want to make it a bloodbath like I get up and it’s just red from elbows and just beating him lumpy. Only the first one’s the asterisk, last two he beat me.
"But I was beating him, I was on my way to beating him. There’s that story there. This time, if I just beat him from bell to bell [sic] 30 minute a** whooping, finish him somewhere in between, all those three don’t matter. He who has the last laugh laughs best."
Pereira is likely to face a number of alternative challenges in the aftermath of the win which saw him win the UFC middleweight crown after just his fourth fight with the promotion. This could include UFC rising star Khamzat Chimaev who is willing to switch from 170lb to take the challenge, and has even claimed he would take it on short-notice.
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However Adesanya now has the fire in his belly to get revenge after being annoyed with the stoppage at the end of the fight, which he believes was premature. The Nigerian was ahead on the scorecards prior to the referee halting the clash, and the defending champion even suggested after the bell that he would still be champion if a different official had been appointed.
With the whole host of potential contenders in the queue, UFC president Dana White has yet to confirm that it will be Adesanya who gets the call for a sequel. "First of all, Israel Adesanya didn't even flinch about taking this fight. He wanted this fight, a lot of people talk publicly and then it's a whole different story behind the scenes. In a fight that most guys would stall, he dove right into this fight. I wouldn’t rule (an immediate rematch) out.”
