Alex Pereira is the UFC middleweight champion after stunning Israel Adesanya UFC281
Alex Pereira is the UFC middleweight champion after rallying in the fifth and final round to knock out Israel Adesanya on Saturday night.in Madison Square Garden but recovered and was competitive throughout the fight.In the third frame, ‘The Last Stylebender’ secured his first-ever UFC takedown and showed he had a clear advantage on the ground against his inexperienced opponent.
Pereira emerged for round four looking exhausted from the grappling exchanges and seemed to be on his way to a decision defeat when the unthinkable happened in the final frame. The Brazilian knockout artist landed a flurry of punches that had Adesanya out of his feet before referee Marc Goddard step in to save the New Zealander from taking any more punishment.Adesanya immediately protested the stoppage but the fight was over and Pereira wheeled away in celebration after being told by his cornermen that he needed a finish in the last round to win.
The UFC 281 main event paves the way for a fourth fight between the two world-class kickboxers who shared a fierce rivalry before switching sports and meeting again inside the Octagon. In 2016, Pereira ended Adesanya’s 12-fight winning streak with a unanimous decision victory before the two men met again in a rematch that ended in disaster for the UFC middleweight legend.Advertisement
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UFC 281 Adesanya vs. Pereira results, stream: Live round by round tracker and updatesUFC 281 takes place Saturday Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City featuring a pair of intriguing title fights and other matchups between top contenders. In the main event, Israel Adesanya will look to defend his UFC middleweight belt against former kickboxing foe Alex Pereira. Both fighters faced each other twice in Glory and both times the Brazilian had his hand raised. Will Adesanya finally get redemption? In the co-main, Carla Esparza aims for her first title defense as UFC strawweight champion against former titleholder Zhang Weili. Esparza, coming off a decision win over Rose Namajunas in May, has won six in a row. Weili dropped two in a rose to Namajunas but bounced back with a second-round KO of Joanna Jedrzejczyk in June. Other fights to watch include a battle of top lightweight contenders in Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier and Frankie Edgar’s last MMA bout ever against Chris Gutierrez.Stay with The Athletic all night for coverage of UFC 281. UFC 281Date: Nov. 12Location: Madison Square Garden in New York CityStart time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card) How to watch: ESPN+ PPV for $74.99Full card with BetMGM oddsIsrael Adesanya (-210) vs. Alex Pereira (+170) for the UFC middleweight belt Zhang Weili defeats Carla Esparza via submission to retake the UFC strawweight beltDustin Poirier defeats Michael Chandler via third-round submission.Frankie Edgar (+185) vs. Chris Gutiérrez (-225) Dan Hooker defeats Claudio Puelles via second-round TKO. Renato Moicano defeats Brad Riddell via first-round submisisonRyan Spann defeats Dominick Reyes via first-round KOErin Blanchfield defeats Molly McCann via first-round submissionAndre Petroski defeats Wellington Turman via unanimous decisionMatt Frevola defeats Ottman Azaitar via first-round KOKarolina Kowalkiewicz defeats Silvana Gómez Juárez via unaimous decisionMichael Trizano defeats Choi Seung-woo via first-round KOMontel Jackson defeats Julio Arce via unanimous decisionCarlos Ulberg defeats Nicolae Negumereanu v
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