Israel Adesanya put the doubters and the division on notice at UFC 287, brutally knocking out his rival, Alex Pereira, at the end of the second round, reclaiming the UFC middleweight title.
Round 1 started with both fighters feeling each other out with leg kicks, and then Adesanya landed a straight right when he figured out the range of Pereira midway through the round. The Kiwi landed a hard body kick, which was followed by some calf kicks in an attempt to slow down the Brazilian. Pereira landed some calf kicks to finish off the first round.
Pereira started the second round strong by throwing a barrage of punches and kicks, but Adesanya landed a big right hand in retaliation. Midway through the round, the Kiwi started putting pressure on the Brazilian, but shortly after, Pereira took over and began to apply pressure on him. However, Adesanya countered with a big left hand. Towards the last minute of the round, Pereira started stalking and throwing a flurry of punches as Adesanya was forced back against the cage. The Kiwi shelled up and then landed a powerful right hook off the fence, knocking out Pereira on the canvas.
Adesanya has etched his name in the history books by becoming the fourth fighter in UFC history to reclaim their title in an immediate rematch. The Kiwi grinded hard in the gym to pull off an incredible finish to his redemption story and cement it in the history books.
“Alex is a great champion, no matter what. He lost the belt tonight, but he will always be a champion. In his story, I’m the antagonist. In his story, I’m the bad guy,” Adesanya said.
“But tonight is my story.”
“HISTORY!”
This fight marks Adesanya’s 24th win on his professional record, and with what he has accomplished, the Kiwi is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest middleweights of all time.
