This Saturday, the highly-anticipated rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya takes place at UFC 287, signifying the culmination of a longstanding grudge between the two fighters that dates back well before their initial forays into the octagon.

When Pereira shocked the world last November at UFC 281 by mustering a thrilling fifth-round comeback to take down Adesanya with a barrage of strikes and become the UFC middleweight champion after just eight professional MMA fights, it was but the latest chapter in an ongoing saga of back-and-forth combat between the two fighters.

Previous kickboxing bouts had already seen Pereira come out on top twice against Adesanya, leading many to wonder if the dominant two-division Glory titleholder had simply figured out how to outduel Adesanya.

Before losing to Pereira in such dramatic fashion, Adesanya had assembled an impressive, almost unstoppable run at 185 pounds that had many pondering his legacy. Whether significant redemption can come from finally conquering his nemesis and pushing this momentum forward, or if his destiny is to repeat a double loss to Pereira, remains to be seen for “The Last Stylebender.”