UFC 287: Israel Adesanya knocks out Alex Pereira in brutal match, wins middleweight title

Israel Adesanya is back, and to wrap up the Ultimate Fighting Championship 287 from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, the Nigerian-born athlete recovered his middleweight throne with a second-round knockout win over Alex Pereira.

The opening round was slow and tough to score in. Pereira began with several low kicks that hit, while Adesanya threw in several punches, but there were few notable strikes.

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The fight’s lull came to an abrupt and brutal end; Pereira pressed against the cage until Adesanya took him out with an incredible knockout:

Watch the moment here

The victory is expected by many to be a weight lifted off Adesanya’s shoulders. Throughout his martial arts career, Pereira has been a thorn in his side – when they were both kickboxers, the two battled twice, and Pereira won both times.

With Pereira having won the first one in the Octagon, Adesanya needed to win this one.

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The question now is what will happen to the champion next. It’s only been five months since the two last fought. He didn’t sound interested in another fight right away.

At the UFC 287 weigh-ins, Adesanya stated that the rematch meant “everything” and that it would be “one and done.”

Despite their split record in the Octagon, the promotion would be wise to avoid the rivalry. Given that their first two fights were so close together, both could benefit from a match against new opponents before the rivalry is reignited.

With the storied rivalry and Adesanya’s record of domination in the middleweight category, it appears like a fifth chapter of this rivalry is on the way.