Israel Adesanya plans on “dominating from start to finish” against Alex Pereira at UFC 287: “I don’t get paid by the round”

Israel Adesanya is extremely confident he will get his belt back this Saturday at UFC 287.

Adesanya is set to rematch Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 287 from Miami. The two previously fought twice in kickboxing, with ‘Poatan’ winning both of those contests. The rivals collided for a third time at UFC 281 last November, with the Brazilian winning by fifth-round TKO to become the new middleweight champ.

Although Adesanya is 0-3 against Pereira, he knows he has all the tools to beat him. Not only does he expect to beat Pereira at UFC 287, but he believes he will dominate him.

“I don’t get paid by the round. I feel like, I don’t think there is (an) emphasis, I just plan on dominating, and when I’m dominating the finish comes,” Adesanya said to TMZ Sports. “I’m not putting emphasis on the finish itself, but I plan on dominating from the start to the finish and staying dangerous every second of this fight.”

If Israel Adesanya does as he says, he will once again become the UFC’s middleweight champion. While Izzy is definitely confident about his chances this weekend, he admits he was surprised to see himself listed as the betting favorite over Pereira given their history.

“I am surprised by that, to be honest, because I thought these bookies were not as smart as they are,” Adesanya added. “I’m surprised they actually picked me as the favorite because I am the more polished fighter, but he’s just the guy that’s got the tools, he’s got that nuke. Only a few fighters in history have that. Eugene said in an interview, you’re lucky to face a Mike Tyson. You’re lucky to face a guy like David Tua. You’re lucky to face a guy like Deontay Wilder, even just once in your career. You’re lucky to face a guy like Alex Pereira even once in your career. So yeah, lucky me.”

Do you think Israel Adesanya will dominate Alex Pereira at UFC 287?