Alex Pereira Beats Israel Adesanya At UFC 281
Brazilian fighter Alex Pereira claimed the UFC middleweight title after pulling off a stunning comeback to knock out Nigerian Israel Adesanya in the fifth round, at UFC 281 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Behind on the judges’ scorecards and running out of steam, Pereira unleashed a stunning combination of strikes in the final round to dethrone Adesanya, who had held the title for 3-1/2 years, in only his eighth professional MMA fight.
There’s a new king in the middleweight division 👑 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/Ts5Wsjwd0n
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
“I feel so good, I’ve been training all my life, I worked so hard for this,” an elated Pereira said after the fight.
Fighting out of a southpaw stance for much of the first round, Adesanya landed a huge right hand and followed it up with a left hook to the jaw that almost ended the fight.
But Pereira was saved as the horn sounded to end the frame.
Pereira recovered and bounced back in the second round, but the fight swung in Adesanya’s favour in the third as he landed a takedown early and exerted heavy pressure on his opponent, forcing him to carry his weight and landing shots from the back.
After winning the fourth round comfortably, Adesanya looked to be cruising towards a decision victory until Pereira, who has a previous KO win over him in kickboxing, rocked him with a right hand and followed it up with a flurry of devastating punches to claim the crown.
PEREIRA DOES THE UNTHINKABLE!! 😱
HE KOs ADESANYA AGAIN!! #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/YiNrtkrVFY
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters/UFC.
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