Alex Pereira (7-2 MMA) and Adesanya (24-2 MMA) had last met at UFC 281 in November of 2022, with ‘Poatan’ defeating ‘The Last Stylebender‘ via fifth-round TKO to claim the promotion‘s middleweight title.
Israel Adesanya made good on what was likely his last chance to beat Alex Pereira when he recaptured the middleweight title from his rival in the UFC 287 headliner.
After losing twice in kickboxing and then again in the octagon this past November, Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) finally got one over against Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) on Saturday with a second-round knockout victory at Kaseya Center in Miami.
The first round was a leg kick battle. Adesanya utilized his technical striking as Pereira leaned on his signature power. A close opening five minutes of point-fighting was followed by a more aggressive second round from both fighters, particularly Pereira, who landed a hard knee and punches combination.
With Adesanya against the cage, Pereira attempted more strikes but was met by two conscious-stealing right hands. Adesanya landed one massive hammerfist follow-up before referee Dan Miragliotta dove in to save the stiffened Pereira.
That’s when the celebration began. Adesanya stood over his long-time rival and pretended to shoot arrows at his downed opponent, a play on Pereira’s signature walkout motions. Breakdancing followed before the UFC middleweight title was once again wrapped around Adesanya’s waist.
Official UFC 287 Result: Israel Adesanya def. Alex Pereira via KO in Round 2
Check out how the pros reaction to ‘Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2’ below:
Post-fight reactions to Israel Adesanya defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287:
Israel Adesanya, 33, earns his title back following the UFC 281 loss by TKO in November. He moves to 8-2 in UFC title fights as he embarks on his second stint as middleweight champion.
Alex Pereira, 35, who pivoted to MMA full-fledged in 2020, loses for the first time since his professional debut in 2015. He was fast-tracked to the title prior to his championship win in November with wins over Andreas Michailidis, Bruno Silva, and Sean Strickland.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 287 results include:
- Alex Pereira def. Israel Adesanya via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 4:21
- Gilbert Burns def. Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Rob Font def. Adrian Yanez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:57
- Kevin Holland def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 3:16
- Christian Rodriguez def. Raul Rosas Jr. via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kelvin Gastelum def. Chris Curtis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Luana Pinheiro def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Joe Pyfer def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:15
- Loopy Godinez def. Cynthia Calvillo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Ignacio Bahamondes def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Steve Garcia def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via knockout (body kick, punches) – Round 2, 0:36
- Sam Hughes def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)