MMA: Israel Adesanya extinguishes Alex Pereira in second round and regains title
Israel Adesanya regained his middleweight championship belt at UFC 287. Getty Images via AFP - CARMEN MANDATO
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
After three failures against the Brazilian, the Nigerian fighter finally took his revenge to once again dominate the UFC middleweight division.
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The fourth was the right one! After losing twice in kickboxing (2016 and 2017), then in mixed martial arts (MMA, 2022), Israel Adesanya defeated, and in a beautiful way, his "nightmare" of always, the Brazilian Alex Pereira, at UFC 287 held in Miami on the night of Saturday to Sunday.
The atmosphere was electric. Adesanya warned before the event: "The belt doesn't matter. I just have to beat this guy. ", adding that it would probably be "his last chance" to get there.
Devastating hooks
The first round clearly reflects this state of mind. Very tense minutes, during which both opponents compete with leg strikes to weaken the other.
We will have to wait until the second round to see the situation settle. During this round, the fighters pick up the pace, indulge more. And in the last minute, Alex Pereira seems to take over. Accumulating body strikes on an Adesanya stuck against the cage, he masters the debates... before the Nigerian went against it. After a well-absorbed knee strike, Israel Adesanya chains two right hooks that send his opponent to the mat. The Brazilian's lights go out.
This fight allowed the Nigerian champion to regain his middleweight title. And to avenge years of frustration. A rage that the public could clearly feel during the celebration of the new champion: standing in front of an inert Pereira, Adesanya "unleashed" three arrows, response to the gesture that the Brazilian had made when he entered the octagon.
ADESANYA GETS ONE BACK! HE KNOCKS PEREIRA OUT COLD! 😱 #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/P01reBg6je
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
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