Pereira Defeated Adesanya to Claim UFC Middleweight Title
Israel Adesanya was dethroned when it looked as though he was cruising to a comfortable victory
Israel Adesanya suffered a devastating first defeat at middleweight losing his belt to old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in a classic UFC 281 showdown.
The Brazilian, in only his fifth fight in the organisation, looked on course to lose a decision before he plucked victory from the jaws of defeat and delivered a late TKO.
Madison Square Garden erupted as Marc Goddard stepped in to prevent any more punishment, some felt prematurely. Pereira now has a win in MMA over Adesanya to go with his two triumphs in kickboxing before the pair changed sports.
Adesanya came out looking laser-focused and his reactions were magnificent early on. He was on the back foot but timed Pereira to perfection and badly wobbled the challenger right at the end of the first.
Adesanya had controlled proceedings and his old kickboxing rival appeared to tire late on
Pereira was so unsteady on his legs that it looked as if he was moments from being finished. He was saved by the bell and recovered quickly between rounds, regaining his composure and balance.
He found success in the second, landing leg kicks and hitting the target with more regularity, although Adesanya appeared to shade it again.
The third was the Brazilian’s worst round. He attempted a trip but was reversed and Adesanya spent much of the round on top, controlling his man and landing thunderous ground and pound.
Adesanya showed all his experience and intelligence in the fourth. Pereira was still fatigued from the previous exertions and any time he exhibited signs of regaining his energy, ‘Stylebender’ tied him up with grappling exchanges to drain the gas tank.
Pereira Defeated Adesanya in devastating fashion
The final round was crucially different because Pereira knew he could leave everything in the octagon.
The beginning of the end came when Adesanya hurt himself checking a kick, stumbling backwards and unable to move as freely as before.
Pereira sniffed his chance, marching forward and swinging for the fences. He connected and rattled Adesanya who ducked and weaved but could not avoid the relentless barrage.
Goddard stepped in and there were faint protestations from the beaten man, who might have preferred to go out on his shield.
In the co-main event of the evening, Zhang Weili reclaimed the strawweight title with a combative and muscular performance against Carla Esparza.
There was another hugely impressive submission in the clash between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier.
‘Diamond’ ended the first well after a brilliant back-and-forth battle, with Chandler piling on the pressure in an action-packed encounter.
‘Iron Mike’ took Poirier down in the second and with the scores one-apiece, tried to do the same in the third, only to be reversed and then choked out himself. – DailyMail
