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Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will add another chapter to their rivalry as they headline UFC 287 on April 8 at a location that has yet to be announced.
During a live stream on the promotion's YouTube channel, UFC President Dana White announced that 'Izzy' will challenge 'Poatan' for the middleweight championship. White confirmed that the rematch would serve as the main event.
This will be the fourth time the two middleweights have fought each other in combat sports. They fought twice in kickboxing and most recently at UFC 281, which saw Pereira come from behind to earn a fifth-round TKO to become the new UFC middleweight champion.
'Poatan' has gotten the better of Adesanya, as he has won all three of their fights. Despite 'Izzy' making improvements and even looking as though he's about to secure a decision win, 'Poatan' has been able to perform better under pressure and turn things around.
Check out the full video:
Alex Pereira will attempt to go 4-0 against Israel Adesanya
Alex Pereira will attempt to go 4-0 against Israel Adesanya when they meet in the octagon for the second time at UFC 287.
'Poatan' and 'Izzy' rivalry dates back to 2016, when they competed in Glory Kickboxing. The reigning middleweight champion defeated Adesanya via unanimous decision in their first kickboxing bout and via knockout in their rematch the following year.
In their second kickboxing bout, 'Izzy' seemed to have the upper hand and was getting the better of 'Poatan', but he ended up getting dropped with a left-hook and losing via knockout.
History repeated itself at UFC 281 as 'The Last Stylebender' went up on the judges' scorecards heading into the final round.
After a motivational speech from his corner, 'Poatan' was more energized and defeated 'Izzy' via fifth-round TKO after a flurry of punches against the fence to become the new middleweight champion.
