Israel Adesanya conquered his “boogeyman” with an emphatic second round knockout at UFC 287!!!
The hunter became the hunted at UFC 287 – and Israel Adesanya hit his mark. And then some. He slept Alex Pereira with two devastating right hands towards the end of the second round – getting his first victory over a man who had beaten him 3 other times.
Pereira looked good while the fight lasted – having Izzy’s legs compromised with a series of very heavy calf kicks. However, Adesanya played possum to lure “Poatan” into his range – countering him with two right hands (and a sneaky left hook and hammerfist) to put an end to the fight.
Adesanya reclaims his middleweight strap over the biggest rival in his career – moving to 7-1 in title fights at 185. Pereira got overzealous and paid the price – and the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not there will be an immediate trilogy bout.
Adding to the iconic moment was Adesanya’s Octagon interview – which was one to remember.
Pereira knocked out Adesanya back at UFC 281 in the fifth round, but couldn’t defend his title in the rematch. The former GLORY kickboxing “champ-champ” seemed to have Adesanya’s number – having beaten the Last Stylebender twice in kickboxing and once in MMA. However, it wasn’t his night at UFC 287.
(Inside Fighting)
