Israel Adesanya left the FTX Arena with tears of joy after he reclaimed his Middleweight championship in an epic UFC 287 main event showdown against Alex Pereira, on Sunday.
Watch: The moment Adesanya TKO’d Alex Pereira
The Stylebender entered the octagon with a chip on his shoulder, on what was his fourth encounter against the feared Poatan.
In the first round, a nervy Adesanya held Pereira to a clinical display with an advantage in significant strikes landed on the upper torso. However, as the stats below indicate, Poatan was in full control.
Pereira’s form was consistent at the start of the second round too, for at least the first 30 seconds. But, somewhere in his fiery ambush, Adesanya found a clean opening and delivered a deathly blow to his left jaw, which was followed by a pummel to the ground.
Izzy won the fight by total knockout and returned to his familiar position as the UFC Middleweight champion.
Take a look at the epic UFC 287 main event moment.
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Speaking after the fight, Adesanya acknowledged Pereira’s greatness and thanked him for the losses he handed the champion in the last three encounters.
“I told him this before, Thank you! Thank you for beating me because, beating me, he made me a better fighter,” Izzy exclaimed.
Here’s a look at Adesanya vs Pereira fight statistics, courtesy of the UFC:
Adesanya | Pereira | |
Strikes landed | 49/85 | 41/96 |
Strike accuracy | 57% | 42% |
Takedowns | 0 | 0 |
Here’s how social media reacted to Izzy’s return as UFC Middleweight champion.
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