Alex Pereira, the UFC middleweight champion, is set to face former champion Israel Adesanya in a rematch at UFC 287 in Miami. Adesanya’s coach, Eugene Bareman, had advised him to sit out and wait longer before facing Pereira again, but Adesanya chose to proceed with the rematch.

Pereira agrees with Bareman’s advice and would have told Adesanya not to take the fight yet if he were a member of his team. He believes that Adesanya may be the one who makes the final call over at Bareman’s City Kickboxing gym in New Zealand, as opposed to having a collaborative team.

Pereira stresses the importance of having a strong team that communicates effectively and puts the athlete’s interests first. He recognizes that fighters are eager to fight anyone, but sometimes it is not the right moment.

Pereira feels that if he beats Adesanya again on Saturday, it will be their final encounter, as he will have improved his record against him to 4-0 in two different sports.