NEW YORK -- Israel Adesanya will seek his sixth defense of the UFC's middleweight championship Saturday, when he meets familiar rival in Alex Pereira at UFC 281 inside Madison Square Garden.
Adesanya (23-1) has won more than three times as many MMA contests as Pereira (6-1) has even competed in, but the UFC accelerated this matchup due to their history. Pereira holds two victories over Adesanya in professional kickboxing, including a vicious knockout in 2017.
It's a great narrative for Adesanya's latest title defense, and should preclude a highly technical fight.