Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya and his archrival Alex Pereira will rekindle their rivalry in a rematch of the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title bout set for April 8.
On Friday, UFC president Dana White announced that the two fighters will headline the UFC 281 card, as Pereira will look to defend his title and put an end to the rivalry with Adesanya once and for all.
White also revealed that the event will see fifth-ranked welterweight contender Gilbert Burns battle the long-awaited Jorge Masvidal.
ABSOLUTELY STACKED 🚨@DanaWhite announces the full lineup for #UFC287 in April and it's HUGE! pic.twitter.com/0kPaRTCABA
— UFC (@ufc) January 27, 2023
In his sixth title defense match last November, Adesanya lost his belt to Pereira via technical knockout in the fifth round at Madison Square Garden, his first defeat in the middleweight category in the UFC.
The Style Bender and Poatan are no strangers to each other, as the upcoming title fight will be the fourth time they will be facing each other in their respective careers and just the second time in a mixed martial arts event.
Pereira has been victorious in the three previous meetings, including twice in their kickboxing days when he dealt Adesanya the first knockout of his fighting career.
However, the 33-year-old Nigerian will look to put an end to Pereira’s dominance over him as he seeks his first win against the hard-hitting Brazilian to regain the middleweight title when they face off in the Octagon in April.
Adesanya responded to the news of the rematch with a post on his social media channels.
It read: “In this game, we don’t keep score…we settle them.”
🌴🐉🌴
In this game, we don’t keep score…we settle them. #insertcointocontinue #UFC287 #wegoagain 😤 pic.twitter.com/eyDrE3gdht— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) January 28, 2023
Although no location has been announced for the upcoming fight, Madison Square Garden is rumoured to be the preferred place for the showdown.
