Israel Adesanya has got a 'sweet revenge' against Alex Pereira to reclaim the middleweight crown at UFC 287 in Miami, defeating the Brazilian in the second late on Saturday.
Adesanya wanted a quick rematch after a November loss to Pereira stripped him of the 185-pound championship belt he’d held since 2019.
Five months later in UFC 287 in Miami late Saturday, Adesanya dropped the middleweight champion Pereira with two right hands, then raised his fists in triumph and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest fighters in the sport’s history.
“I hope every one of you behind the screen or in this arena can feel this level of happiness just one time in your life,” Adesanya said.
“But guess what, you’ll never feel this level of happiness if you don’t go for something,” he added.
Pereira (7-2) landed a knee that pushed Adesanya (24-2) into the cage in the second round.
Adesanya came off the cage with two right hooks and a right hammer fist, followed by ground and pound to end the fight at 4:21.
The 35-year-old Pereira had never lost to Adesanya. Before he scored a TKO win for the welterweight belt in UFC 281 in November, Pereira defeated Adesanya twice in kick boxing.
It took four bouts, but Israel Adesanya finally got the better of Alex Pereira in their middleweight matchup. “They say revenge is sweet,” Adesanya said after his stunning victory. “And if you know me, I’ve got a sweet tooth.”
Adesanya, born in Nigeria but raised in New Zealand, entered the UFC in 2018 and won the middleweight belt a year later when he beat then-champion Robert Whittaker in a stunning knockout.
He successfully defended his title five times as he became one of the sport’s main draws. He was in unfamiliar territory over the weekend as the challenger.
Adesanya's eventual triumph is being celebrated in Nigeria with sports fans and high profile individuals viewing it as a national pride.
Nigeria's president-elect Bola Tinubu says Nigerians have always believed in the boxer's ability.
During the bout, Brazilian Pereira, who took his first defeat since his debut in mixed martial arts in 2015, was dominating late in the round -- he finished the match with 49 significant strikes to 41 for Adesanya -- but Adesanya came up with a pair of right-hand punches. The first slowed Pereira and the second was the knockout blow.
Nigeria's opposition politician Peter Obi described Adesanya as ''Valliant champion.''
In a welterweight co-main event, Gilbert Burns ran his record to 22-5 with a win by unanimous decision over Jorge Masvidal. In a battle of bantamweights, Rob Font (20-6) won with a knockout of Adrian Yanez (16-4) at 2:57 of the first round.
