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Israel Adesanya slayed the demon of his past by knocking out middleweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 287 on Saturday night.
“The Last Stylebender” made the walk into the Octagon to battle the man who took his 185-pound strap in November via fifth-round TKO. Further, Pereira held two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing, which included a knockout. Unfazed, Adesanya met Pereira in high-stakes combat once again, but this time, he ensured it was he who reigned victoriously.
Although Pereira was highly successful with low kicks across two frames, The Last Stylebender landed a right hand that halted “Poatan” in his tracks. After a few follow-up shots, Adesanya secured UFC gold once again. The finish came at 4:21 of the second round.
With the victory, Adesanya improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 24-2. On the other end, Pereira suffered his second loss as an MMA fighter with his record falling to 7-2.
Conor McGregor, Francis Ngannou & Georges St-Pierre Reacted to Adesanya’s Win
Take a look at some reactions to Adesanya’s triumph from the MMA community:
“The best middleweight of all time and I’m not arguing with anyone,” former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou wrote. ”
Former 155 and 145-pound champion Conor McGregor tweeted: “Quadrilogy’s are fun.”
“That was an amazing finish,” former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre said while being filmed backstage at the Miami, Florida, event. “Oh my God. Wow.” Watch “GSP’s” reaction below:
Middleweight and welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev tweeted: “Congratulations @stylebender see you soon.”
“I’m coming,” UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal tweeted.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson wrote: “WOW!!! The champ with a statement @stylebender you da man.”
Former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Michael Chandler tweeted: “Woooooooow! Izzy is back in a big way!
Many in the MMA World Shared Their Take on Saturday’s Adesanya vs. Pereira
The reactions kept pouring in on Twitter.
“The magnitude of what Israel Adesanya has just done shouldn’t be understated,” Sun Sport’s Chisanga Malata tweeted. “To lose to someone three times, twice in a devastating fashion, and to have the mental strength to go again and do that. Truly legacy-defining stuff right there.”
“The MMA Hour” host Ariel Helwani tweeted: “ISRAEL ADESANYA KNOCKS OUT ALEX PEREIRA IN THE SECOND ROUND. PEREIRA IS OUT COLD. Y’ALL MUST’VE FORGOT, INDEED. WELCOME BACK, IZZY. WOW.”
“Imagine the mental hurdle Adesanya had to overcome to do that,” Helwani tweeted. “One of the most remarkable things we’ve ever seen.”
“Well if you fight long enough you will always make someone’s highlight reel,” top-ranked UFC 185-pound fighter Sean Strickland tweeted. “Great fights”
BT Sports’ Chamatkar Sandhu shared a photo from Cooper Neil of Adesanya’s immediate reaction to slaying Poatan. “One of the coldest pictures you’ll ever see,” Sandhu tweeted and the photo can be seen below via the embedded tweet.
Longtime MMA writer Josh Gross wrote: “Props to Adesanya. Huge mountain he climbed tonight.”
“What a performance from Israel Adesanya,” CBS Sports’ Luke Thomas tweeted. “Down 2-0 in kickboxing, once via vicious KO. Down 1-0 in MMA, via vicious KO. Not only wins the title, but proved what he believed about himself and knew about his abilities was true. He’s the champ. AGAIN. What a champion.”
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