Adesanya is once again facing her worst nightmare.

Ahead of their MMA bouts scheduled for the following day, the fighters featured on the UFC 287 fight card step on the scales and face off in front of the fans. Among them are Pereira and Adesanya.

Israel Adesanya's nightmares have a first and last name: Alex Pereira. The Brazilian is the pet peeve of the Nigerian. He defeated him all three times they met.

This Saturday at the star-studded UFC 287 event, Adesanya will have another chance at redemption. He is on the limit, as Pereira knocked him out twice. If he loses again in this fight, he will remain in an extremely difficult middleweight position. At 33, the option of retiring would be more than plausible.

Adesanya is a wrestler who loves his job, so it didn't take long for him to set up a rematch against Pereira. In Miami, Izzy won't change his plan much. The big difference between the two in November was the difference in size, but Adesanya refused to take the fight harder. This fight was in his favor. He almost knocked out the Brazilian and letting him breathe was too big a mistake. Pereira charged up his stamina and decided everything with one punch. Same story as in 2017. Adesanya won on points and finished by knockout.

What really changed Adesanya was his way of fighting. In November, he took everything too personally, and this could affect the result. This time, the former champion behaved more restrained: few interviews and without much excitement.

Adesanya sees clearly what he must do. He must pick up the pace and keep Pereira breathing. Here comes Adesanya's nightmare, the hand that incapacitates him again. He has avoidable qualities, but ghosts are very difficult to get rid of. Izzy will not only fight Pereira, but also himself at UFC 287.