Israel Adesanya Reclaims UFC Middleweight Title, Knock Out Pereira
In the main fight of UFC 287 on Sunday, Israel Adesanya brutally knocked out Alex Pereira to win back the UFC Middleweight title.
At the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida, it lasted Adesanya two rounds to defeat his rival.
Pereira defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing while following the Nigerian-New Zealander into combat martial arts, where he won the UFC championship with a TKO in November. This was their fourth encounter.
The situation changed, though, in the wee hours of Sunday when Adesanya unexpectedly delivered the knockout shot that sent Pereira sprawling to the ground.
With Israel Adesanya pressed up against the ring, Pereira started out on the attack, throwing body hooks and a knee to the ribs, but the challenger launched a right hook out of nowhere, sending the Brazilian into a tailspin.
The hook paralyzed Pereira, and Adesanya used a one-two and a hammer punch to knock the champion down cold.
Adesanya and Pereira have faced off four times in the past seven years, but since their first encounter in a kickboxing match in 2017, the Nigerian has been overshadowed by the Brazilian, leading him to describe his victory over Pereira as a sweet kind of retaliation.
“I don’t throw and hope, I aim and fire!” – Me 🏹 pic.twitter.com/jYCReHrrMk
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) April 9, 2023
