Nigerian mixed Martial artist, Israel Adesanya, has knocked out Brazilian, Alex Pereira, to reclaim the UFC Middleweight Championship title he lost in November 2022.
The fight which held at the FTX Arena, Miami, USA on Saturday, 8th April, 2023, was the fourth fight between the two, with Pereira beating Adesanya twice in the past in kickboxing before following him into mixed martial arts, where he took Adesanya’s UFC title.
Pereira had opened with several low kicks and punches on Adesanya, but there were few strikes of note.
Adasanya finally beat his longtime rival by freezing Pereira with a right hook in round 2 before dropping him and finishing the fight with a hammer fist.
Celebrating his victory on his Instagram page, Adesanya posted;
“This is the sweet sweet victory and you know I have a sweet tooth. The hunter is now the hunted.”
Adesanya, born in Nigeria and raised in New Zealand, entered the UFC in 2018 and won the middleweight belt a year later when he beat then-champion Robert Whittaker in a stunning knockout.
He successfully defended his title five, times as he became one of the sport’s main draws.
Story: Hilda Katu
Media: @stylebener/ Instagram