Israel Adesanya
Middleweight champ Israel Adesanya expresses gratitude to Alex Pereira for bringing out the best in him
Israel Adesanya effectively recaptured his UFC middleweight championship by knocking out Alex Pereira in the second round. Adesanya had the final laugh in the storied rivalry, but deep within, he’s indebted to Pereira for bringing out the best in him.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya took to Twitter to address his bitter rival Alex Pereira. ‘The Last Stylebender’ uploaded a video of himself and ‘Poatan’ hugging after their rematch at UFC 287, where they had just finished fighting.
Adesanya’s four-fight arc with the Brazilian-Tupi boxer was the turning point in his career. The New Zealander, who was born in Nigeria, had a rough start to his fighting career, losing twice by knockout in kickboxing and once in mixed martial arts, before making a spectacular return with a second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
‘The Last Stylebender’ wrote on Twitter:
“”I love this game. Nothing compares, on this planet, in this life; [more] than putting it all on the line. [You only get] one shot, [with] the whole world watching, waiting – then BOOM! History. Our individual legends will always be intertwined because of the stories we’ve told with our beautiful violence. I’m grateful we have this rivalry, I’m grateful he beat me. It forced me to grow, made me better. Now, I have done the same for him – the gift that keeps on giving; A** whoopings. Shoutout to the warrior from Brazil, Alex “Poatan” Pereira!”
Throughout the first two rounds, the bitter adversaries exchanged strikes. Pereira clawed at Adesanya’s thighs, while the challenger fought with greater forward pressure and vigor than in their previous bout. Adesanya unleashed a right hand that landed clean and disoriented Pereira, followed by a follow-up right that knocked the champion out cold – a thrilling finish from the Nigerian-born, New Zealand-based superstar who successfully defended his middleweight title.
Adesanya was able to exact vengeance on his longtime adversary Alex Pereira, and in the words of “The Last Stylebender,” he was able to settle the score.
Tristan Tate was impressed with Israel Adesanya’s performance and praised ‘The Last Stylebender’ on Twitter. He penned:
“There is beauty in this. Not everybody can see it, but it’s truly beautiful.”
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