Kiwi UFC star Israel Adesanya has confirmed his upcoming middleweight title challenge against archrival Alex Pereira with a chilling video based on the horror movie Saw.
UFC boss Dana White has announced the match-up to headline UFC287 in April, giving Adesanya first shot at regaining the crown he lost to the Brazilian last November.
In his sixth title defence, 'The Last Stylebender' led on points into the fifth and final round, but succumbed to his opponent's onslaught over the final stages.
The result was Pereira's third victory over Adesanya, dating back to their previous careers as kickboxers, but the Kiwi has accepted the chance to quickly turn the tables.
"In this game, we don't keep score... we settle them," he tweeted, along with a video channeling the infamous Jigsaw Killer.
"Hey, y'all must have forgotten," he narrates. "Trust me, you'll soon find out."
In their previous Octogan meeting, Adesanya, 33, was worn down by Pereira's kick attack to his legs that affected his mobility as the fight wore on.
"Give me three seconds, four more seconds and it would have been over," he said. "That hook didn't land the way I wanted it to, but that's hoopla.
"Shoulda, woulda, coulda... it doesn't matter. He is the new champion, congrats to him and he did it again.
"It's not over yet. I can already take a lot from this fight."
But Adesanya also warned he had medical issues that needed to be addressed in the short term, putting a question mark over when the rematch might occur.
White's announcement means the meeting will take place on April 9 (NZ time) at an unconfirmed venue, but with New York's Madison Square Garden rumoured.
