GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JUNE 12: Israel Adesanya of Nigeria prepares to fight Marvin Vettori of Italy during their UFC 263 middleweight championship match at Gila River Arena on June 12, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona.
A big main UFC card is set to happen under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden in November.
The main event will headline middleweight champion Israel Adesanya against challenger Alex Pereira.
The most interesting aspect of this fight is Pereira has beaten Adesanya twice before in kickboxing.
One occurred via decision in April 2016, while the other was a knockout in March 2017.
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But a lot has changed since then.
Adesanya is 23-1 in the UFC – with his only loss coming in his light heavyweight debut against Jan Błachowicz.
The Nigerian-native has four belt defenses.
When asked how he looks back on his two losses to Pereira, Adesanya said in an appearance on ESPN that they are “a part of history.”
“But now it’s time for my story,” he said.
And there will be a big difference between the full package of mixed martial arts (MMA) compared with just kickboxing, according to Adesanya.
“For me, it’s the gloves,” said Adesanya.
“You can’t guard the same way you guard in kickboxing [versus] MMA. You have to be able to use your brain [and] move out the [way of the] shots. And also, my striking style is a lot different. I can elbow, I can use my knees, I can get in the clinch and stay in the clinch.”
Oddsmakers are agreeing with Adesanya so far, giving him a near 67% chance to defeat Pereira this time around in the octagon.
Also, a fight agreement between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier is reportedly “close” to being finalized.
Poirier indicated on Twitter that it would be a five-round fight.
The opening odds favor Poirier at -150.
Poirier is coming off a loss in December in a lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira, who won by submission.
Chandler, who has also lost a belt to Oliveira, knocked out Tony Fergusson in May with a brutal front kick to the face.
The victor of the fight could potentially take on the winner of Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, which will take place on October 22.
After that, UFC 281 is set to take place on November 12 with Adesanya and Pereira confirmed so far confirmed.
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