Will ego be the downfall of Israel Adesanya against Alex Pereira at UFC 281?

Renowned MMA coach Jim West has predicted Alex Pereira to beat Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 although he considers the champion to be better in all aspects.

While the MMA Gold head honcho is not an avid kickboxing fan, he is well aware of Adesanya’s two losses against ‘Poatan’. But West doesn’t remotely doubt who is the better mixed martial artist six years down the line.

Although West considers Adesanya better in all aspects, he predicts that Pereira will get his hands raised on November 12. The 45-year-old believes Stylebender’s ego will force him to do things he usually doesn’t, making him vulnerable to getting knocked out. West said in an interview with The AllStar:

“I think Izzy’s better and I think he’s probably better everywhere. But I think maybe, and I’m gonna go out on a limb, and I’m gonna say Pereira’s gonna win. And I think the reason why he’s gonna win is because I think that Izzy’s gonna be overconfident. I think he’s gonna allow his ego to allow him to get caught and I think he does. Because I think he’s mad. And I think that could play in a role.”

Adesanya is known for his collected persona, reaching almost zen-state on fight night, which his opponents have not been able to affect so far. However, the storyline going into his fight is different.

While he doesn’t consider Adesanya to be even remotely weak mentally, West believes ‘The Last Stylebender’ will let his ego get the better of him this time. The MMA Gold head coach further added:

“Not that…Because Izzy is not a mentally weak person, but I think his ego is going to lead him into s**t that he normally wouldn’t do.”

What should Israel Adesanya’s coach do

Eugene Bareman is currently regarded as one of the best coaches in the world, owing to the success of the City Kickboxing gym. While West is sure of Bareman doing the needful, he shared what the coach can do to maintain Adesanya’s calm.

According to West, if he was Adesanya’s coach, he would try to keep the champion focused on the moment instead of thinking about the past or the future. Although West laid out the strategy, he isn’t sure if it will work for Adesanya at UFC 281.

The 45-year-old believes that ‘The Last Stylebender’ will be thirsty for revenge against Pereira, which might render Bareman’s corner work ineffective. Speaking from Adesanya’s coach’s standpoint, West said:

“I think it’s reminding him of the moment. Not the past, not the future, the moment, right? What he’s doing right now and keeping him in that moment. Every round, every second, every minute of every round during that fight. And I think Eugene will, like he always does, but whether Izzy adheres to it, I don’t know. Because I think he wants to knock out Pereira so bad that it might actually not play out well for him.”

Fighter profile

Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya is a 33-year-old male fighter from Nigeria with 23 pro wins and 1 loss. Adesanya is scheduled to fight Alex Pereira at UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira on Saturday, November 12, 2022.

Israel Adesanya’s recent form coming into this matchup

Israel Adesanya has gone 4-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Jared Cannonier • Decision R5 5:00 • 2022-07-02
• Win vs Robert Whittaker • Decision R5 5:00 • 2022-02-12
• Win vs Marvin Vettori • Decision R5 5:00 • 2021-06-12
• Loss vs Jan Błachowicz • Decision R5 5:00 • 2021-03-06
• Win vs Paulo Costa • KO/TKO R2 3:59 • 2020-09-26

Israel Adesanya’s next opponent: Alex “Poatan” Pereira

Alex “Poatan” Pereira’s recent form coming into this matchup

Alex “Poatan” Pereira is a 35-year-old male fighter from Brazil with 6 pro wins and 1 loss. Pereira is scheduled to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira on Saturday, November 12, 2022.

Alex Pereira has gone 5-0 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Sean Strickland • KO/TKO R1 2:36 • 2022-07-02
• Win vs Bruno Silva • Decision R3 5:00 • 2022-03-12
• Win vs Andreas Michailidis • KO/TKO R2 0:18 • 2021-11-06
• Win vs Thomas Powell • KO/TKO R1 4:04 • 2020-11-20
• Win vs Marcus Vinicius • KO/TKO R2 4:28 • 2016-05-21

How to watch and bet on Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira