Alex Pereira became the UFC middleweight champion after defeating Israel Adesanya in the final UFC 281 which took place at Madison Square Garden, New York, Sunday (13/11).
This Pereira vs Adesanya duel is the first in MMA, but the two have met twice in kickboxing battles which always end in the Brazilian fighter’s victory.
A flying kick from Pereira marked the start of the fight. Pereira and Adesanya then kicked each other. Kicks are aimed at the feet and to the body, as well as the head. The fight takes place like a kickboxing duel.
Occasional punches are thrown, but both seem to use foot attacks to bring down the opponent.
Pereira and Adesanya looked strong in the face of the kick. As distance closed in the final minute, Pereira’s strike hit Adesanya.
There was a clinch, but the fight did not progress to groundfight. In the last seconds of the first round two of Adesanya’s strong punches made Pereira falter, but the bell to signal the end of the fight immediately rang,
Entering the second round Adesanya looked confident. Pereira was unfazed and then fired a round kick.
Pereira tried to push Adesanya in a stand fight duel, but there was no lethal blow from the challenger. Adesanya also retaliated and proved his fighting skills.
The two fighters hugged each other again without wanting to do a takedown. The strength of the two who are in stand fight is so visible in this duel. Pereira had a chance to make Adesanya fall before the final bell of the second round rang.
The approach of the two fighters at the start of the third round is still the same as in the previous two rounds. The stand fight assessment is carried out while melting the gap to release a deadly attack.
A rare moment in this fight occurs when both fighters engage in a groundfight. Pereira tried to get up while Adesanya tried to release a punch while blocking Pereira from getting up. Pereira looks to lose points in this position.
When Pereira was facing up, Adesanya tried to ground and pound. Pereira was still able to survive Adesanya’s attack until the end of the third round.
Stand fight returned to be the main show in the fourth round. Pereira and Adesanya kicked and beat each other. In the middle of the fourth round, Adesanya tried to steal the opportunity to bring down Pereira and force him to play on the mat.
His efforts failed and the battle over again presented. Adesanya’s failure to force Pereira into a ground fight made it difficult for his opponent to unleash a dangerous attack towards the end of the fourth round.
Facing the final round, both fighters looked excited. Pereira is still on the attack with punches and kicks, while Adesanya does the same with a combination of takedown attempts.
Adesanya had fallen after releasing an attack, but the defending champion was able to hold on. Pereira then released fists to the head which made Adesanya helpless and cornered until the referee stopped the fight.
Adesanya previously won the middleweight title after defeating Robert Whittaker in 2019. After that, the Nigerian-born fighter always managed to defend his title before losing to Pereira.
