Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira (Image Credit: Getty Images)

Israel Adesanya Breaks Silence on Mental Struggles Before Alex Pereira Rematch

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Pavan Sharma | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 4:13 AM ET

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira fought two kickboxing and UFC title fights each, and fans know how intense the rivalry was. All four fights were jaw-dropping as Izzy and the Brazilian star went back and forth. Meanwhile, Adesanya reveals how tough it was to prepare against Pereira for the rematch at UFC 287.

‘The Last Stylebender’ admitted it was one of the toughest camps of his career, not physically, but mentally. Facing someone who had already beaten him multiple times made it even harder to stay confident. During his recent interview with Engage, the former two-time middleweight champ said:

“I was worried I had to really just dive deep into the deepest, darkest part of myself and find the resolve. That was, for me, mentally one of the hardest camps. The guy beats you three times, he’s so confident, that you just have to find that in yourself.”

Israel Adesanya says the Alex Pereira rematch at UFC287 was the hardest fight to prepare for mentally

"I was worried I had to really just dive deep into the deepest, darkest part of myself and find the resolve. That was, for me, mentally one of the hardest camps. The guy beats… pic.twitter.com/laZ7UHRfXK
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) March 27, 2026

Adesanya lost two kickboxing fights and 1 UFC title fight against Pereira. During their first UFC title fight, ‘Izzy’ almost finished ‘Poatan.’ But in the rematch, ‘The Last Stylebender’ became the first person to defeat the 38-year-old in the UFC. Meanwhile, since then, Adesanya has struggled to win in the promotion, and now he’s facing Joe Pyfer, aiming to mark his win.

Israel Adesanya Aims to Bring Old Fighting Style Against Joe Pyfer

Israel Adesanya is looking to return to form as he prepares to face Joe Pyfer. After back-to-back losses, Adesanya is going back to his roots, studying his old fights and bringing back techniques that made him dominant during his title run. In a recent pre-fight show with the UFC, ‘Izzy’ said:

“I was watching myself like dang I don’t do that anymore what am I not using that move and just revising certain things and bringing them back.”

Israel Adesanya is studying his past fights to bring back key techniques against Joe Pyfer

"I was watching myself like dang I don’t do that anymore what am I not using that move and just revising certain things and bringing them back"

(Via @UFCNews ) pic.twitter.com/siUq3wc4Ax
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) March 26, 2026

Adesanya plans to stay aggressive and trust his style to get back into the win column. Now, fans definitely want the former two-time middleweight champ to get back into the winning zone. But a lot of people believe that if ‘Izzy’ loses this fight, then he might also retire.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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