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The Brazillian Alexandro Pereira surprisingly pulled out from a looming defeat to snatch a victory from the jaws of death by knocking out Israel Adesanya in the final round to claim another knockout defeat on his opponent.
Adesanya was seeking revenge after losing two fights to Pereira in kickboxing back in 2016 and 2017.
Pereira scored a come-from-behind victory against Adesanya at UFC 281 on Saturday night to become the new UFC middleweight champion inside Madison Square Garden.
The Brazilian UFC fighter has now ended Adesanya’s reign as the UFC middleweight champion.
Adesanya fought a near-perfect fight. He had Pereira out on his feet at the end of Round 1, but the Brazilian returned the favour in Round 5 to snatch it.
How it happened at Madisson Square
Just before the end of the first round, Adesanya landed he huge shot that send Pereira to the ground but time was over.
Pereira bounced back well in Round 2. It was a competitive, if unspectacular, round that likely went in the challenger’s favor.
Adesanya scored the first takedown of his 14-fight UFC career in Round 3 and decisively controlled Pereira for the remainder of the round. Adesanya fatigued Pereira with pressure, ground-and-pound and a pretty axe-kick at the end of Round 3.
Adesanya exerted himself in the third round pinning Pereira down landing punches from several directions
Pereira was noticeably labored in Round 4 and his output was severely limited. Adesanya was defensively sound, picking away at his opponent in a round that was clearly his. Pereira’s corner implored him to find the finish in
Round 5, aware that Adesanya likely had a 3-1 lead on the judges’ scorecards. The UFC broadcast confirmed post-fight that Adesanya was up on all three judges’ scorecards heading into the final frame.
In the fifth round, Pereira knocked the Nigerian out. Adesanya was likely up on the scorecards, three rounds to one, when he slipped in the middle of the octagon.
He tried to recover but it was the beginning of the end. As Adesanya retreated to the fence, Pereira followed and peppered him with punches to the face, stunning him and nearly knocking him unconscious.
Referee Marc Goddard ended the fight as Adesanya’s body went limp, though Adesanya protested the stoppage as he attempted to regain his composure.
Pereira has now ended Adesanya’s reign as the undisputed UFC middleweight fighter but a rematch is likely to happen as included in the clause.