In the lead-up to UFC 287 this weekend, former middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre has advised current champion Israel Adesanya to focus on his own game plan and not be swayed by emotions. Adesanya is set to rematch Alex Pereira in the main event, having lost two previous kickboxing bouts against him before stopping him in the fifth round of UFC 281 last year.

The rivalry between the two has resulted in tensions running high, with Adesanya wearing a dog collar to the pre-fight press conference and engaging in an intense faceoff with Pereira. However, St-Pierre has warned Adesanya against using anger and emotion as a tactic in the fight, stating that focusing on the objective and the things he can control will give him an advantage.

Adesanya emphasized the importance of clearing one’s mind and only focusing on what needs to be done to achieve the objective, rather than being distracted by external factors. Despite the previous losses to Pereira, Adesanya is still the favorite, with DraftKings listing him as a -140 betting favorite. Saturday’s event will take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami.