Did Alex Pereira wear the Pikachu jacket to troll Israel Adesanya? 'Poatan' gives a sly answer

Alex Pereira recently pulled up to UFC 287 media day wearing a denim Pikachu jacket with his middleweight championship belt hanging off his shoulder. The Pokemon-themed jacket seemed a subtle yet effective dig at Israel Adesanya's stuffed toy collection, which featured a plush Pikachu figure in his room.

While many assumed that 'Poatan's' fashion choices were part of his plans to get under Adesanya's skin before their upcoming fight, Alex Pereira recently made it clear that the jacket was merely a gift that coincidentally had a giant Pikachu on the back.

At UFC 287 media day, Pereira slyly explained the anime on his jacket without name-dropping Adesanya, saying:

"Honestly, somebody just gifted it to me ten minutes ago. I liked it, I thought it was cool, and it matched my pants. Nothing set up, I really just got this ten minutes ago, and I think it matches my pants."

When asked if the jacket were something Israel Adesanya would like to wear, Alex Pereira wittily replied:

'Yeah, but it's mine."

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will face each other for the fourth time in the headliner of UFC 287 this weekend in Miami. The two men have fought thrice before, with their combat sports record standing at 3-0 in favor of the Brazilian.

Their upcoming bout will also mark Pereira's first title defense as middleweight champion.

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Alex Pereira Pikachu jacket: When 'Poatan' trolled Israel Adesanya for the soft toys in his room

Alex Pereira has mastered the art of psychological warfare and has no issues getting under his longtime rival Israel Adesanya's skin.

The middleweight champion has habitually targeted the Nigerian-born Kiwi's social media posts and recently recorded himself watching a reaction video on Adesanya's YouTube channel. 'The Last Stylebender' regularly uploads videos of him reacting to UFC events, during which he analyzes the technical aspects of fighters.

After UFC 286, Israel Adesanya posted his reaction to the Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman fight. The video featured a panning shot showing a room with the former middleweight champion's anime and stuffed toy collection.

Watch the full reaction video below:

Not long after the video was posted, Pereira recorded his own reaction video. He jeeringly reacted to Adesanya's room full of toys and sarcastically joked about 'The Last Stylebender's reaction to Edwards getting his hand raised.

While Adesanya usually keeps his cool before and during his fights, only time will tell whether Pereira's apparent mind games have had their desired effect on the former champion.