Israel Adesanya took the measured approach in his clash with kickboxing foe Alex Pereira. PEreira and Adesanya initially had a kickboxing bout more or less – at which point Adesanya started utilizing the clinch and even landed several takedowns.
This is the first takedown of Israel Adesanya's career #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/vMfB91aMr4
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) November 13, 2022
By all accounts he was 3-1 heading into the fifth round.
In an ironic twist, it was a calf kick that did Adesanya in. Through out the match, Adesanya was throwing calf kicks however in the fifth Alex checked one for the first time and actually did something to Adesanya’s leg.
Adesanya either hurt his leg or tripped and ended up doing a back roll. He was soon crowded by Pereira who packs on tremendous power in really short strikes.
After a couple of strikes referee stepped in and let wobbled Adesanya recover – without his title.
PEREIRA DOES THE UNTHINKABLE!! 😱
HE KOs ADESANYA AGAIN!! #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/YiNrtkrVFY
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
Alex Pereira becomes the second-least experienced UFC champion of the modern era, only behind Brock Lesnar.
Since 2014, Benny A. King has been fully immersed in the world of combat sports. Starting with a blog about Greco Roman wrestling, Benny’s passion for combat sports has led him to explore various disciplines.