Israel Adesanya, the Nigerian-born fighter who grew up in New Zealand, reclaimed his middleweight championship belt after defeating his greatest foe, Alex Pereira, with a stunning knockout in the second round of UFC 287 held in Miami.
Adesanya had lost his championship to the Brazilian fighter in November last year. However, he made a spectacular comeback when he was backed against the cage and landed two huge right-hand punches on Pereira, stunning and knocking him down. Adesanya then finished the fight with a hammer-fist, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
In his post-fight interview, Adesanya credited his win to changing his tactics and trusting his instincts. He said that the spectacular knockout “was from the gods.”
Both fighters were cautious in the first round, with a barrage of leg kicks from both ends, and Pereira targeting Adesanya’s right calf. They opened up in the second round, standing toe to toe and landing punches, leading to Adesanya’s knockout victory.
Adesanya celebrated his win by mimicking shooting three arrows into his floored opponent and reclaiming his middleweight championship belt.
