Alex Pereira Defeats Israel Adesanya To Claim UFC Middleweight Title
Alex Pereira knocked out Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya to claim UFC middleweight title at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Adesanya has been winning the fight until the final sequence, with Pereira firing a barrage of punches with Adesanya hurt against the cage.
The 33-year-old Nigerian was seeking revenge after losing two fights to the Brazilian in kickboxing back in 2016 and 2017.
Adesanya’s loss snapped his 12-fight winning streak at middleweight, only one shy of Anderson Silva’s division record.
In his post-fight interview, the Brazilian expressed his delight at the victory.
He said, “I feel so good, I’ve been training all my life, I worked so hard for this.”
Behind on the judges’ scorecards, Pereira unleashed a stunning combination of strikes in the final round to dethrone Adesanya who had held the title for about three and half years in only his eighth professional Mixed Martial Arts bout.
