After years of searching, Israel Adesanya
finally landed the punches that he needed
to become the UFC middleweight
champion once again. The event took place on Saturday, as the main event at
Kaseya Center in Miami. Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) faced off against Alex
Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in a highly anticipated rematch that MMA fans have
been waiting for. The fight was the fourth time the two rivals had faced off in
combat sports, and the second time in MMA. This was the first time that
Adesanya emerged as the victor.
Pereira had won the first three fights in
the series, including a TKO victory over Adesanya at UFC 281 in November, which
earned him the UFC title. Both of Pereira’s stoppage victories were late-round
comebacks, which only added to the tension between the two fighters.
The first round of the fight was a leg
kick battle. Adesanya utilized his technical striking skills, while Pereira
leaned on his signature power. The opening five minutes were a close
point-fighting match, with both fighters trying to gain the upper hand. The
second round saw both fighters become more aggressive, with Pereira landing a
hard knee and punches combination.
With Adesanya backed up against the cage,
Pereira attempted to land more strikes. However, Adesanya had other plans and
landed two devastating right hands that left Pereira stunned. Adesanya followed
up with a massive hammerfist, which put Pereira on the canvas. Referee Dan
Miragliotta quickly intervened to save Pereira, and the match was over at 4:21
of Round 2.
The win sparked an exuberant celebration
from Adesanya. He stood over his rival and pretended to shoot arrows at him, a
playful reference to Pereira’s signature walkout motions. He then broke out
into a dance before finally having the UFC middleweight title wrapped around
his waist once again.
Adesanya, 33, regained his title after
losing to Pereira by TKO in November at UFC 281. With the victory, he now has a
record of 8-2 in UFC title fights, and he embarks on his second stint as the
middleweight champion.
Pereira, 35, who made a full transition to
MMA in 2020, suffered his first loss since his professional debut in 2015.
Despite being fast-tracked to the title, Pereira lost to Adesanya, ending his
championship reign.
