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Israel Adesanya is the betting favorite in his upcoming UFC 281 matchup against Alex Pereira. Despite defending his middleweight belt five times, the No.2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter disagreed with those odds.
During his media day appearance for UFC 281, Adesanya stated:
"I saw it last night, I was like, why am I the favorite in this on the betting odds? I never check them, but I just happened to see something on Instagram and I was like, how the f**k am I the favorite? I feel like we should change that or something. How can you change that? Fake an injury? I think people should bet on him on this fight. See what happens."
Adesanya later doubled down, adding:
"He should be the favorite. I don't know why - these betting people, whoever makes these odds sometimes - I just think he should be the favorite in this fight."
Adesanya's comments are presumably driven by Pereira's two previous kickboxing victories over him. In their last fight, Adesanya's last as a kickboxer, Pereira handed him the first, and only, knockout loss of his combat sports career. The No.4-ranked middleweight will look to become the first 185-pounder to defeat the current champion.
Watch Israel Adesanya discuss being the betting favorite below (starting at the 3:35 mark):
Israel Adesanya shares thoughts on former kickboxing opponents joining mixed martial arts
Following Israel Adesanya's success in mixed martial arts, several of his former kickboxing opponents, including Alex Pereira, have joined the sport. Leading up to his title fight against Pereira, the middleweight champion shared his thoughts on paving the way for his former foes.
Speaking to the media ahead of UFC 281, Adesanya stated:
"I cleared the middleweight division so I cleared path for him directly to me... without me he wouldn't be here. There's no way... All these motherf**kers are trying to live off me. They all try to live off my name, my fame, but this is my game and I know how to play this game. I'm the game master in this s**t so I'll show them when it comes."
While Pereira does hold two kickboxing victories over Adesanya, they have never met in mixed martial arts. Adesanya holds a significant advantage in experience, as his opponent will be in just his seventh mixed martial arts fight. It will be the No.2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter's ninth title fight.
Watch Israel Adesanya discuss paving the way for his former kickboxing opponents below (starting at the 4:40 mark):
