Israel Adesanya Gets His Revenge, ANNIHILATES Alex Pereira at UFC 287

Inside Fighting

April 9, 2023

Israel Adesanya conquered his “boogeyman” with an emphatic second round knockout at UFC 287!!!

The hunter became the hunted at UFC 287 – and Israel Adesanya hit his mark. And then some. He slept Alex Pereira with two devastating right hands towards the end of the second round – getting his first victory over a man who had beaten him 3 other times.

Pereira looked good while the fight lasted – having Izzy’s legs compromised with a series of very heavy calf kicks. However, Adesanya played possum to lure “Poatan” into his range – countering him with two right hands (and a sneaky left hook and hammerfist) to put an end to the fight.

Adesanya reclaims his middleweight strap over the biggest rival in his career – moving to 7-1 in title fights at 185. Pereira got overzealous and paid the price – and the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not there will be an immediate trilogy bout.

Adding to the iconic moment was Adesanya’s Octagon interview – which was one to remember.

Pereira knocked out Adesanya back at UFC 281 in the fifth round, but couldn’t defend his title in the rematch. The former GLORY kickboxing “champ-champ” seemed to have Adesanya’s number – having beaten the Last Stylebender twice in kickboxing and once in MMA. However, it wasn’t his night at UFC 287.