This is it for Israel Adesanya.
"The Last Stylebender's" legacy is on the line as he defends his UFC middleweight championship in the main event of UFC 281 against Alex Pereira on November 12.
That may sound dramatically hyperbolic, but this is the kind of fight that separates champions from legends.
No, it’s not because he has the chance to tie Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in middleweight history. Not because he’s seeking his eighth title fight victory. Not necessarily because he’s looking to avenge his losses to Pereira in kickboxing. And not even because the Brazilian is the only person to ever knock Adesanya out in a professional fight.
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It’s because, for the first time, the world will see him fight someone who is essentially a mirror image of his fighting style. It’s the last box to check before he reaches that rarefied air of Anderson Silva’s dominance in the division. That’s not to take anything away from his previous victories, but Adesanya’s opponents, stylistically, were inferior to him. He never found himself in danger unless he invited it.
Not to mention Adesanya's kickboxing style that capitalizes heavily on his opponents making mistakes has often led to his opponents refusing to engage once they realize the challenge of getting close to him.
Alex Pereira represents the idea that Adesanya is in grave danger in Madison Square Garden. There is a threat level that supersedes what has come before Pereira. Robert Whittaker, Marvin Vettori, Jared Cannonier, Paulo Costa, and Yoel Romero all were dangerous but not nearly as fluid in the striking department. Kelvin Gastelum gave Adesanya the closest thing to a war that he has had, but that was essentially on the terms of “The Last Stylebender.”
He will not be afforded that luxury against his rival.
Pereira has been fast-tracked to this title fight for a good reason. Aside from Adesanya essentially clearing out the middleweight division, Pereira is the only opponent who has dealt with Adesanya before. He won’t be as tepid in his advances when the fight starts. Pereira's a kickboxer with ferocious power and a degree of familiarity with his opponent. Add in a dash of extra confidence, considering he’s 2-0 with a knockout against the current champion, and you have a disaster cocktail just waiting for Adesanya.
For once, the fight seemingly won’t be dictated on Adesanya’s terms, as Pereira has just as much of a claim to the rules of engagement as the champion. If Adesanya is going to win, he’s going to have to overcome his greatest nightmare and be forced out of his shell to fight in a manner that he hasn’t necessarily needed to to win his previous 12 fights in the division.
“You’re not going to beat me. I’m prepared to die,” Adesanya said in his Player’s Tribune feature about his drag-out war with Kelvin Gastelum, where he won the interim middleweight championship.
"I became who I wanted to be — in the deepest water, in the biggest moment,” he continued. "And I know that if someone tries to take me there again … man, if they make me go back in those waters … I will thrive. And I will drown them.”
MORE: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira timeline
It’s almost as if Adesanya knows that is what he is mentally preparing himself for against Pereira. He opted to go to war with Gastelum, and that fight awarded him a championship and a new level of respect. Following that fight, his opponents became weary of his counter-striking ability. Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa approached the bout aggressively and ended up a feature on his highlight reel. Everyone else opted to play it safe. So safe, in fact, that fans began to turn on him for his performances.
The lack of action wasn’t necessarily his fault. The blame should have been placed squarely on his opponents for making a conscious decision to keep their distance and survive rather than take a chance and engage.
Adesanya may not have that option in the rematch, because Pereira only knows how to come forward and let his hands and feet go.
They say that when your back is up against the wall, that is when the true fighter comes out. And this fight isn’t like previous affairs with fighters with a strong wrestling base. It could win a bout, but that approach doesn't elicit fear and put opponents in peril. Maybe Adesanya isn’t scared but aware what can happen because it already has. Being knocked out is the ultimate form of losing. There are no debates about scorecards.
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And that’s why this is a legacy-defining fight. It’s a foe Adesanya knows all too well, attempting to turn his carriage into a pumpkin. Pereira is a relic from his past, unearthed to test him in ways he hasn’t been tested on the grand stage. He’s going to have to fight for his life, his legacy, and his future. If Adesanya wins, he’s a living legend. And if he loses, he’s just another champion whose time ran out.
It's an unfortunate reality, when your detractors want to see you "exposed" and will be the first to yell from the tallest building that Israel Adesanya was never as good as he was made out to be.
But Adesanya knows this. He's aware of what he's in for and knows that putting away his rival in spectacular fashion will get him over the hump. The haters will be silenced. He will be validated, and this will go down in history as the greatest performance of his career.
"It’s going to be a f------ horror story, I’ll tell you that much," he said. "It’s going to be Izzy walking into MSG and whooping this dude’s ass. I don’t care how long that sh-t take, either — we can go the whole five rounds. But the end is the same: beautiful and bloody. It’s about to be my masterpiece."
That, is what legends are made of.
