Israel Adesanya understands the threat before him better than anyone.
“The Last Stylebender” will defend his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown against Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Adesanya, whose reign now covers more than 1,000 days, enters the Octagon at the peak of his powers. He last appeared at UFC 276, where he took a five-round unanimous decision from Jared Cannonier on July 2. Pereira, meanwhile, extended his winning streak to six bouts at the same event, as he wiped out former King of the Cage champion Sean Strickland with punches in less than three minutes.