Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will headline UFC 281 in November at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

‘The Last Stylebender’ has been out of action since his decision victory over Jared Cannonier last month. On the undercard of his title defense at UFC 276, ‘Poatan’ scored a knockout victory over Sean Strickland.

With that huge knockout win, the stage was set for a huge middleweight showdown. UFC 281 will be the first time they square off in MMA. However, Adesanya and Pereira have a storied past from when the two men were kickboxers.

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira faced off twice in the kickboxing ring. In their first outing in 2016, the Brazilian picked up a close decision victory. The two rematched one year later, with Pereira scoring a come-from-behind stoppage win. The loss was Adesanya’s last kickboxing match.

Now five years from the last time they faced off, they’re set to compete again. As announced by ESPN MMA, Israel Adesanya will face Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 281 in November. The event will take place in the historic Madison Square Garden venue in New York.

The UFC middleweight champion chimed in on the announcement on Twitter. Adesanya stated that the rivalry ends here. The 33-year-old also said that vengeance is his, referencing his prior defeats to Pereira.

https://twitter.com/stylebender/status/1555683844321189889?s=20&t=1PhhDoHALUilZ4clJS1wDA

“Vengeance is mine says the lord.” Brooooo I said the same thing too!! This ends here. Kill or be killed”

As of now, the fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is the only fight announced for UFC 281. However, reports have stated that the grudge match between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier could be added to the card. To top it off, The Diamond’ has teased it will be five rounds.

Who do you got? Israel Adesanya or Alex Pereira? Sound off in the comment section below!