Israel Adesanya regained his UFC middleweight title with a devastating victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 287 at the Kaseya Center on Saturday night. With this victory, Adesanya became the first two-time middleweight champion in UFC history, and only the fourth fighter to regain the title in an immediate rematch.
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Adesanya had already lost to Pereira three times, but this time he turned the tables on his rival. Pereira was doing well at the start of the fight, but Adesanya countered with a strong right hand that rocked Pereira. He then followed up with a left hook that sent Pereira to the canvas. Adesanya gave the finishing touch with a hammer fist when the referee stopped the fight.
After the match, Adesanya stood over a fallen Pereira and made a movement as if he were pulling out a bow and arrow, which is the same provocation Pereira uses. Adesanya described his victory as “historic”, while Pereira will go down as a great champion, despite having lost the title.
UFC president Dana White praised Adesanya, calling him “special” and “different”. Adesanya had already lost the title to Pereira last year, but with this win, he has cemented himself as one of the best middleweights in UFC history.
Pereira, a former middleweight and heavyweight champion at Glory Kickboxing, is expected to move up to the middleweight division after this fight due to the weight cut he will have to make to reach the 185-pound limit as a middleweight.
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Adesanya’s victory at UFC 287 was a momentous occasion and cemented his status as one of the greatest middleweight fighters in UFC history. With his unique fighting style and ability to counter his opponents’ movements, Adesanya will certainly continue to be a dominant force in the world of mixed martial arts for years to come.