Israel Adesanya realises the stakes are at an all-time high for his UFC middleweight title rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 287 on Sunday (NZ time).
Adesanya has lost all three of his combat encounters against the Brazilian, two of which took place in the Glory Kickboxing promotion.
Their first date under the UFC banner in November saw Pereira - who was comfortably behind on the judges' scorecard - surge home to earn a technical knockout win in the final minutes to win the middleweight crown, ending the Kiwi-Nigerian's five-fight reign atop the division.
Another loss in their rematch at Miami this weekend would likely put a definitive end to their rivalry and Adesanya knows he desperately needs to make a statement, comparing his situation to Eminem's in the rapper's iconic 2002 film.
"I'm down two fights in kickboxing, one fight in MMA, so I'm down three, and this is like in every movie - your one shot," Adesanya said at UFC 287 media day.
"This is my Eminem moment, my '8 Mile' moment. You get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime and this is it.
"This is it for me."
The most frustrating aspect for Adesanya will be the nature of their previous fights, where he's won most of the minutes, but failed to get his hand raised. The first was a razor-close decision many believed the Kiwi should have won, while he dominated the second before being caught in the only knockout loss of his career.
The trend continued in their first meeting under mixed martial arts rules, when Adesanya seemed to be en route to a straightforward win, before Pereira's late salvo forced a referee stoppage.
"I know what works for me," Adesanya said. "I know how I can beat this guy.
"I know every time I fight this guy, I'm beating him, and then he has this special ability to recover and put his foot on the gas, so I have to find a way to take him out of the driver’s seat, which I will.
"He knows how dangerous I am, he knows I'm not an easy fight. He knows he's going to have to go through fire and I'm going to make him fight for his life in this fight, but I said say less, do more.
"We’re here, you put a mic in front of me, you expect me to talk… I really just want to fight.
"You guys want some words, I'll give you words - I'm going to make him fight for his life. That's not no trash talk, that’s no bullshit.
"I'm here to fight. I'm ready to go."
Pereira's win at New York City snapped 'The Last Stylebender's staggering 12-fight win streak at 185lb, closing a chapter on one of the most captivating runs in the sport's history.
Since his 2018 debut, the City Kickboxing product has established himself as one of the division's greatest-ever fighters - second only to the legendary Anderson Silva, who successfully defended his belt on 10 occasions.
Adesnaya feels he isn't getting the respect he deserves heading into his rematch with the 'Poatan', and he's ready to send a reminder of his elite pedigree and start a new chapter in his story by reclaiming his middleweight throne.
"Not many people get the opportunity to show how great they are, to rise to the occasion, when all the odds are stoked against them and people are counting them out," he said.
"For me, this fight, I feel like the underdog. I feel like everyone is counting me out.
"I feel like, because of the result of the last fight, goldfish memory - they forgot what I've done in this game. It's time to remind people how great I am."
Such has been his dominance, Adesanya hasn't been a betting underdog in any of his 13 UFC fights, including his 2021 foray up to the light-heavyweight division to take on then-champion Jan Blachowicz, where he lost a unanimous decision.
That will continue this weekend, when he's favoured to avenge those three defeats to Pereira, which Adesanya admits surprises him.
Either way, he's determined to make a statement against his nemesis to add another twist to what he describes as "the greatest storyline in MMA history".
"Honestly, I'm the hunter now," Adesanya said. "I've just been hunting, in every sense of the word, and I'll make sure when it's time to fight, I'll hunt him down.
"My target's straight on him, nothing else. Anything else, not even him after this, I don’t care... I’m focused on right now.
"Imagine, what if I get it done better than he's ever done it. What if I butcher him and beat the f*** out of him.
"I always do, but just ramp it up now, and I don't let him get any breath and I take him out, I put him on his back. We'll find out.
"Like I said, I don’t keep score, I settle them - and he who laughs last, laughs best."
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