UFC 281 Report: Alex Pereira stops Israel Adesanya to win UFC Middleweight Championship. Zhang Weili regains strawweight title
On Saturday night, UFC 281 took place from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The card was headlined by a bout for the UFC Middleweight Championship, as Israel Adesanya looked to make his sixth defense of the UFC Middleweight Championship, this time against former Glory Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, Alex Pereira. Adesanya and Pereira fought twice in Glory (a kickboxing promotion), with Pereira emerging victorious in both fights, famously knocking Adesanya out in their second bout. After knocking out Sean Strickland in just his third UFC bout, it was decided that Pereira would face Adesanya for his title next, given their history in the world of kickboxing. Adesanya has had a remarkable run in the UFC’s middleweight division, but stylistically, this would mark Adesanya’s toughest test to date as he looked to defeat Pereira here. In the co-main event of the night, Carla Esparza looked to defend her UFC Strawweight Championship against Zhang Weili. Esparza dethroned Rose Namajunas for the title earlier this year, and after Zhang knocked out Joanna Jędrzejczyk in impressive fashion, it was determined that Zhang would be Esparza’s first challenger. Zhang was a sizeable favorite heading into this bout, but Esparza was looking to upset the oddsmakers and defend her title for the first time, something she was unable to do in her first reign as champion. This card also featured a notable bout between two former lightweight title challengers, as Dustin Poirier faced Michael Chandler in a bout that was practically guaranteed to be a Fight of the Year candidate.
The commentary team for this card consisted of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier. Performance of the Night bonuses were awarded to Zhang Weili and Alex Pereira. Fight of the Night bonuses went out to Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. The announced attendance for this event was 20,845, with a gate of $11,562,807.
QUICK RESULTS:
PRELIMINARY CARD
*Carlos Ulberg def. Nicolae Negumereanu by KO 3:44 of Round 1
*Montel Jackson def. Julio Arce by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*Michael Trizano def. Seung Woo Choi by KO at 4:51 of Round 1
*Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Silvana Gomez-Juarez by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Matt Frevola def. Ottman Azaitar by KO at 2:30 of Round 1
*Andre Petroski def. Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*Erin Blanchfield def. Molly McCann by kimura at 3:37 of Round 1
*Ryan Spann def. Dominick Reyes by KO at 1:20 of Round 1
*Renato Moicano def. Brad Riddell by rear naked choke at 3:20 of Round 1
MAIN CARD
*Dan Hooker def. Claudio Puelles by TKO at 4:06 of Round 2
*Chris Gutierrez def. Frankie Edgar by KO at 2:01 of Round 1
*Dustin Poirier def. Michael Chandler by rear naked choke at 2:00 of Round 3
*Zhang Weili def. Carla Esparza by rear naked choke at 1:05 of Round 2 to win the UFC Strawweight Championship
*Alex Pereira def. Israel Adesanya by TKO at 2:01 of Round 5 to win the UFC Middleweight Championship
CARLOS ULBERG (6-1, 205.2) VS NICOLAE NEGUMEREANU (13-1, 206) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Ulberg controlled this fight with his leg kicks, just picking Negumereanu apart with these numerous hard kicks to the calf. Negumereanu’s lead leg with quickly compromised, and his movement was impacted as a result. Eventually, Ulberg caught Negumereanu with a hook hidden behind a left jab that dropped Negumereanu, and he proceeded to finish the fight with ground and pound strikes.
WINNER: Carlos Ulberg by KO at 3:44 of Round 1
Ulberg’s leg kicks quickly took a toll on Negumereanu’s lead leg, and from this point forward, Negumereanu was largely unable to generate any moments of significant offense for himself. The hook that Ulberg dropped Negumereanu with was perfectly placed, and Ulberg was able to capitalize when the shot landed, immediately moving in to finish the fight. I thought this was his best performance in the UFC to date, and Ulberg has clearly improved greatly from his UFC debut last year. Ulberg now holds a record of 3-1 in the UFC, and he has won three consecutive fights.
JULIO ARCE (18-5, 135.8) VS MONTEL JACKSON (11-2, 135.8) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Jackson pursued a takedown early, but Arce’s takedown defense held up well. They wrestled against the cage for a lengthy period, with very little progress by Jackson offensively. They were eventually separated due to inactivity, with just over two minutes to work in the round. Neither fighter was terribly active in the fight throughout the last couple minutes of the round, but I thought that Jackson landed with just a bit more power, and when you couple that with his uneventful control time, this was likely a round in his favor. 10-9 Jackson.
The second round continued to play out in a rather uneventful fashion. Jackson seemed to be the slightest step ahead of Arce, but if you were rooting for either fighter, you could not be upset if the judges saw the round in favor of the other man. That’s not to say the fighters were completely inactive, but there were very few moments of significance and very little to separate the fighters as the round progressed. At one point Jackson took Arce’s back on the feet as he attempted to drag Arce to the ground, but Arce showcased some impressive balance as he was able to stay on his feet. 20-18 Jackson on my scorecard, but it could easily have been 19-19 heading into the final round.
A jab from Jackson dropped Arce in the opening seconds of the final round, and Jackson followed him to the ground as he attempted to finish the fight. Arce did his best to keep Jackson from advancing on the ground and even threatened submissions off of his back, however, Jackson was able to stay in a safe position, and would throw down the occasional ground-and-pound shot as he tried to force an error from Arce. Eventually, Arce escaped to his feet but was unable to create any significant moments for himself before time expired in the fight. 30-27 Jackson.
WINNER: Montel Jackson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
While this was far from the most entertaining fight, Jackson was able to do enough to clearly take the first and third rounds on the scorecard. Arce was never really able to get going here, landing less than thirty strikes throughout the bout, while not having a ton of success in the grappling department either. Jackson was just a bit sharper than Arce on the feet, and the knockdown he secured early in the third round was exactly what Jackson needed to put an exclamation point on his victory. Jackson is now 6-2 in the UFC, and he has won three consecutive fights.
MICHAEL TRIZANO (9-3, 147.6) VS SEUNG WOO CHOI (10-5, 145.6) – FEATHERWEIGHT
Trizano missed weight by 1.6lbs and was fined 20% of his purse.
This fight began in the most spectacular way possible, as there was actually a double knockdown just seconds into the fight. Both fighters made it back to their feet, and Trizano seemed to hurt Choi with a quick left hand. Choi did his best to recover, but Trizano soon dropped him properly with another hard shot, and he followed Choi to the ground as he attempted to finish the fight. Choi was able to recover once more, and he partially landed a head kick as the fight returned to the feet. Choi rocked Trizano with a heavy hook of his own, and he started swinging like a wild man in an attempt to get Trizano out of there. Trizano was able to weather the storm, and he proceeded to drop Choi one last time with a left hand, before finishing the fight with ground and pound strikes.
WINNER: Michael Trizano by KO at 4:51 of Round 1
This was one of the craziest rounds in recent memory. The double knockdown just moments into the bout set the tone for the next four minutes, as these guys just traded heavy hands, with both fighters getting rocked and dropped before Trizano was finally able to put Choi away. As stated numerous times by Jon Anik on the UFC broadcast, this marked the final fight on Trizano’s current contract, so after missing weight, he was in desperate need of a performance like this, especially after losing three of his last four bouts going into this fight. Choi’s UFC record fell to 3-5 following this loss, and he has been dropped a concerning amount of times throughout his last few fights. Choi is certainly an entertaining fighter, but he may have to adjust his style for the sake of his longevity in the sport.
KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ (13-7, 115.6) VS SILVANA GOMEZ-JUAREZ (11-4, 115.6) – STRAWWEIGHT
Kowalkiewicz was able to secure an early takedown and began to work from the back of Gomez-Juarez with just under four minutes to work. The cage worked against Kowalkiewicz, but she was able to lock in a body triangle to keep Gomez-Juarez in the disadvantageous position. Kowalkiewicz was unable to threaten a finish, but she maintained top position until the final seconds of the round, and this was a fairly easy five minutes to score in her favor. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
Gomez-Juarez’s corner was apparently furious with her backward movement as Kowalkiewicz pressed forward. Gomez-Juarez connected with a hard right hand at one point, which was her most significant strike of the bout to that point. Kowalkiewicz was clearly the more active fighter, but her shots were not doing a ton of damage, and Gomez-Juarez did seem to be packing more power into her punches. Kowalkiewicz came on strong toward the end of the round, which is always a good look to the judges. 20-18 Kowalkiewicz.
Kowalkiewicz connected with a strong overhand right to begin the final round. Gomez-Juarez seemed to be picking up the activity in this final round, and she was throwing some very solid combinations Kowalkiewicz’s way, mixing in some shots to the body as well. Kowalkiewicz was finding success with her jab but seemed to be having trouble finding her range with other techniques, and those body shots from Gomez-Juarez seemed to be taking their toll on the cardio of Kowalkiewicz. Kowalkiewicz pressed forward in the round’s final minute, pushing Gomez-Juarez to the ground, but she was not able to capitalize on the moment, and Gomez-Juarez made it back to her feet. This was a very close round, but I gave the slight edge to Gomez-Juarez. 29-28 Kowalkiewicz.
WINNER: Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
The scorecard was edited in the cage here, presumably due to an error from the judges, which is something I don’t think I have ever seen before. The scorecard was actually taken from Bruce Buffer’s hands at one point, and it took a great deal of time for them to announce the scorecards, much to the displeasure of the audience. Eventually, Kowalkiewicz was announced as the winner, and she was quite emotional, given that this marked the start of her first win streak since 2018. Not long ago, Kowalkiewicz was on a five-fight streak of losses, and many presumed that her time in the sport was coming to an end. Since then, she has moved to American Top Team, where she seems to have improved her grappling, and regained her confidence as a fighter. Her UFC record now stands at 6-7 following this win.
MATT FREVOLA (9-3-1, 154.8) VS OTTMAN AZAITAR (13-0, 155.6) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Frevola and Azaitar were throwing heavy hands early, with both men clearly looking to secure an early finish. Both fighters were just missing their targets, but you could tell that it wouldn’t be long before one of these guys ended the fight. Azaitar attempted to press Frevola into the cage to close the distance and land his shots, but Frevola fired back, and a huge left hook floored Azaitar, knocking him out cold.
WINNER: Matt Frevola by KO at 2:30 of Round 1
Both Frevola and Azaitar were having trouble finding their range early, but the second that the fight moved into close quarters, Frevola landed the left hook that put an end to Azaitar’s undefeated record in the sport. It was a tremendous result for Frevola in his home state, especially against a fighter like Azaitar, who had looked like an absolute monster in his first two UFC bouts. Frevola now holds a record of 4-3-1 in the promotion, and in his post-fight interview, he called out Paddy Pimblett, which could be a very interesting bout stylistically regardless of the result of Pimblett’s upcoming bout against Jared Gordon.
ANDRE PETROSKI (8-1, 185.8) VS WELLINGTON TURMAN (18-5, 185.2) – MIDDLEWEIGHT
Petroski attacked the lead leg and body of Turman, as Turman looked to catch him with a counter hook. Petroski was landing the heavier strikes on the feet early in the bout, and he was repeatedly finding a home for these huge overhand rights. Eventually, Petroski opted to chase after a single leg, and he was successful in dragging Turman down to the ground. Turman escaped to his feet with just over a minute remaining in the round, and he was able to land some strong body shots before time expired. 10-9 Petroski.
Petroski shot for a takedown in the opening minute of round two, and Turman attempted to counter with a guillotine choke. Petroski avoided the submission and was soon able to comfortably take top position. Turman escaped to his feet, where he landed a few more body shots which prompted Petroski to shoot yet again. This time, Turman was able to take top position, and he dragged Petroski right back to the ground when Petroski popped back to his feet. Petroski managed to scramble into top position with a minute remaining in the round, where he worked from half-guard for the remaining minute. 19-19.
Petroski immediately took Turman back to the ground to begin the final round, and he locked in a mounted guillotine choke. Petroski let go of the submission and started throwing down hard ground and pound shots. Turman survived Petroski’s ground-and-pound onslaught, however, he was unable to escape the position, and Petroski was able to control the near entirety of this round from top position. 29-28 Petroski.
WINNER: Andre Petroski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Turman found success with his bodywork, as he really seemed to be emptying Petroski’s gas tank, but Petroski found his second wind and was ultimately able to control Turman on the ground throughout the final five minutes, all while threatening submissions and dealing damage from ground and pound strikes. It was a strong, grappling-centric, performance against a strong grappler in his own right in Wellington Turman, and despite not getting the finish, I would argue that this may have been Petroski’s strongest win to date. After the fight, Petroski called out Bo Nickal and Gerald Meerschaert, who are two of the strongest grapplers at 185lbs, so it is clear that Petroski is on a bit of a quest to cement himself as the division’s top grappler.
ERIN BLANCHFIELD (9-1, 125) VS MOLLY MCCANN (13-4, 125.4) – FLYWEIGHT
The fighters traded their right hands to start the fight. It did not take long for Blanchfield to secure a takedown, and just moments later she was able to trap McCann in the crucifix position. Blanchfield threw down numerous left hands and hard elbows, and while McCann did her best to escape the position, Blanchfield kept her trapped there until she opted to chase after a kimura. McCann nearly escaped, but Blanchfield eventually locked the submission in completely and forced McCann to submit.
WINNER: Erin Blanchfield by kimura at 3:37 of Round 1
This was about as one-sided of a fight as you will ever see. Blanchfield was just far too strong of a grappler for McCann. Blanchfield was able to effortlessly control McCann on the ground, and she did a tremendous amount of damage in a short period, landing well over a hundred strikes, and nearly tearing McCann’s arm off with the kimura. It was a perfect performance, and Blanchfield is very much living up to her hype three fights into her run in the UFC. In her post-fight interview, Blanchfield called out Andrea Lee.
DOMINICK REYES (12-3, 205.4) VS RYAN SPANN (20-7, 206.6) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Spann missed weight by 0.6lbs and was fined 20% of his purse.
This was a short one, as just over a minute into the bout, the heaviest jab you’ve ever seen from Spann found its target, knocking Dominick Reyes unconscious.
WINNER: Ryan Spann by KO at 1:20 of Round 1
Wow. This was an absolutely brutal knockout, and to secure such a brutal finish with a jab is truly remarkable. Everyone knows that Ryan Spann is a dangerous fighter, but he may have topped himself with this finish, which may very well may be his crowning highlight in the sport to this point. This marked the sixteenth first-round finish of Spann’s career, and his fourth first-round finish since making his UFC debut in 2019. In his post-fight interview, Spann asked for a spot in the top five and called out the divisions top-ranked contender. I’m unsure if he’ll get either of those things, but he’s certainly coming close, and this was exactly the type of win that will move him into contenders status. For Dominick Reyes, this was a devastating loss, as he’s now been knocked out in three consecutive fights since losing to Jon Jones in 2020, a bout that many thought he won at the time. It’s tough to say what’s next for Reyes, but for the time being, he has exited the title picture at 205lbs.
BRAD RIDDELL (10-3, 155.6) VS RENATO MOICANO (16-5-1, 155.8) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Moicano caught Riddell with a knee up the middle, and he began to pressure forward. Moicano was picking Riddell apart from distance early, stunning Riddell with numerous jabs, straight right hands, as well as a quick head kick. Riddell seemed to recover from Moicano’s early attack but was cut open under his right eye. Moicano was able to get Riddell to the ground with two minutes to work, and he immediately locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing Riddell to submit.
WINNER: Renato Moicano by rear naked choke at 3:20 of Round 1
Moicano looked fantastic here against a tough opponent in Brad Riddell. Moicano had the reach advantage and he utilized it to perfection, picking Riddell apart from at range before taking him down and choking him out. Moicano has been a highly-ranked fighter for years, but this served as a reminder of why he was once considered a genuine contender at featherweight before his momentum was brought to a halt by losses to Jose Aldo and the Korean Zombie. After the fight, Moicano cut the promo of the year, where his energy was just completely off of the charts, and he must have sworn over a hundred times, as more than half of his chaotic speech was censored. It was great stuff from Moicano, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a notable name coming out of this fight after his entertaining post-fight interview.
DAN HOOKER (21-12, 155.8) VS CLAUDIO PUELLES (12-2, 155.2) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Hooker landed numerous leg kicks throughout the opening minutes of the bout. Puelles rolled for a leg, and he had Hooker in a spot of trouble, but he was unable to extend the leg, and Hooker was relatively safe from the back of Puelles. Hooker and Puelles were trapped in a bit of a stalemate position, until Hooker eventually worked his way into top position, before returning to his feet. Hooker connected with a straight right hand towards the end of the round, before Puelles pulled guard.
Puelles was shooting for takedowns and pulling guard quite often, which the crowd was not fond of. Hooker was picking Puelles apart on the feet, and Puelles did not seem to have many answers for him, repeatedly just falling to the ground in an attempt to lure Hooker in. Hooker continued to defend takedowns, and he hurt Puelles with a kick to the body. Puelles attempted to fight through it, but Hooker continued to dig into the body, and eventually, the fight was stopped after Puelles went down one last time.
WINNER: Dan Hooker by TKO at 4:06 of Round 2
Puelles’s strategy throughout this fight will not endear him to many fans, and unfortunately for him, his numerous takedown attempts and guard pulls did very little to threaten Dan Hooker, and eventually, the combination of body shots from Hooker and his own repeated takedown attempts emptied his gas tank. Hooker carefully picked his shots from at range, and eventually, the damage and exhaustion overwhelmed Puelles, and he just didn’t have anything left to give. It was a strong performance from Hooker, one that he was in desperate need of after losing four of his last five fights.
FRANKIE EDGAR (24-10-1, 135.6) VS CHRIS GUTIERREZ (18-4, 136) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Gutierrez was giving Edgar a lot of problems on the feet early, catching Edgar with numerous explosive strikes, including a heavy leg kick that knocked Edgar off-balance. Edgar tried to pressure forward, but Gutierrez caught him with a knee up the middle, knocking Edgar out cold.
WINNER: Chris Gutierrez by KO at 2:01 of Round 1
This was promoted as the final fight of Frankie Edgar’s career; however, this is a sport with very few happy endings, and this was certainly a saddening result if you have followed Frankie Edgar’s career. Once, he was a fighter known for his remarkable resiliency, but with nearly eight hours of octagon time accumulated throughout his career, Edgar is not the durable fighter he once was, and has now been brutally knocked out in four of his last five fights. Still, credit has to be given to Chris Gutierrez, who handled the pressures of such a high-profile fight well, and easily out-struck Edgar here on his way to the quick knockout. Gutierrez now holds an impressive record of 7-1-1 in the UFC.
If this was indeed Frankie Edgar’s final fight, he will retire with a professional record of 24-11-1. For over half of his career, Edgar (who was undersized even at bantamweight) competed in the lightweight division, where he defeated B.J. Penn for the UFC Lightweight Championship, a belt he would retain three times throughout a rematch with Penn, and two legendary fights with Gray Maynard. After losing his title to Benson Henderson, Edgar moved down to featherweight, where he was consistently one of the top-ranked contenders for six years, although he failed to dethrone both Jose Aldo as well as Max Holloway for their titles. While Edgar’s late career bantamweight run will not be as fondly remembered, it really showcased how undersized Edgar has been throughout the entirety of his career, which in turn truly puts into perspective how impressive his successes at lightweight were in the prime of his career. Edgar’s career highlights include notable wins over Gray Maynard, Sean Sherk, Charles Oliveira, Chad Mendes, Urijah Faber, and Yair Rodriguez, two wins over Cub Swanson, and three wins against B.J. Penn.
DUSTIN POIRIER (28-7, 156) VS MICHAEL CHANDLER (23-7, 155.8) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Chandler opened up the fight with a series of heavy kicks to the body, before threatening a takedown that Poirier defended. Chandler tagged Poirier with several hard right hands, and he had Poirier hurt early. Poirier weathered the early storm, but Chandler kept pouring it on, and he eventually opted to take Poirier to the ground. Chandler chased after a kimura, but Poirier was able to recover and pick himself up against the cage. Chandler suplexed Poirier to the ground, but Poirier made it back to his feet, and they started trading wildly. Poirier rocked Chandler badly, even dropping him at one point, but Chandler was able to do just enough to stay in the fight until he was eventually saved by the bell.
Chandler may have ended the previous round in rough shape, but he was able to secure an early takedown in round two, bringing the fight to a safe place for him to recover. Poirier got Chandler off of him by throwing up some elbows, but he gave up his back in the process, and Chandler started looking for a rear naked choke against the cage. Poirier was able to avoid the submission attempt but was unable to return to his feet, and Chandler basically took this entire round from top position. Going into the third round, the fight was tied at 19-19 on my scorecard, but you could argue this was a 10-8 round for Michael Chandler, and you could very well score the first round for him as well.
Chandler lifted Poirier into the air in an attempt to take him down, but Poirier took his back when they went to the ground, with just under four minutes to work. Poirier locked in the rear-naked choke, and Chandler was forced to submit.
WINNER: Dustin Poirier by rear naked choke at 2:00 of Round 3
When it was announced that Poirier and Chandler would be facing each other on this card, the expectations were very high. Somehow, they lived up to those expectations with one of the most entertaining fights of the year. Chandler had Poirier in deep trouble early in the first round, but Poirier roared back to nearly finish Chandler in the final seconds. Going into round two, the momentum was firmly on Poirier’s side, but Chandler’s wrestling caught Poirier off guard, and Chandler nearly finished Poirier on his way to what was debatably a 10-8 round. Chandler looked to utilize the same strategy to secure the final round, but Poirier was able to Chandler’s back and lock in the rear-naked choke for the third-round finish. It was a tremendous fight, and Poirier has still never lost two fights in a row throughout his career, despite the extremely high level of competition he’s faced since debuting in the UFC back in 2011. Poirier took a subtle shot at Islam Makhachev after the bout, so it can be inferred that lightweight gold is still on his mind. While this loss will temporarily remove Michael Chandler from title contention, he is such an entertaining fighter that I imagine he will continue to get big fights on big stages, and it won’t take many big knockout wins for Chandler to re-insert himself in the title picture.
CARLA ESPARZA (19-6, 114.6) VS ZHANG WEILI (22-3, 114.8) – UFC STRAWWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Zhang pressured forward to begin the fight, and Esparza attempted to keep the distance by working her jab while throwing hooks whenever Zhang closed the distance. Zhang was clearly packing a bit more power behind her punches, and her early activity was giving Esparza problems. Zhang landed several head kicks, until Esparza caught a kick and tripped Esparza to the ground. There were some entertaining scrambles on the ground, where both fighters had their moments, but eventually, Zhang escaped to her feet. Esparza caught another kick from Zhang late in the round, but this time Zhang took top position and threw down ground and pound strikes until the end of the round.
Zhang connected with a hard right hand early in round two, but was quickly taken down by Esparza. Zhang trapped Esparza from what could perhaps be best described a reverse crucifix (from Esparza’s back), and from here, Zhang was able to lock in a rear naked choke, forcing Esparza to submit.
WINNER: Zhang Weili by rear naked choke at 1:05 of Round 2 to win the UFC Strawweight Championship
Zhang’s grappling has improved significantly since her second fight against Rose Namajunas, and it was on full display here, submitting Carla Esparza, who is considered to be one of the strongest grapplers in the division. There were some entertaining sequences on the ground in this fight, with both fighters showcasing impressive grappling ability, but Zhang had the clear advantage on the feet, and her pressure forced Esparza to shoot for difficult takedowns at times. It was a strong performance from Zhang, and she had now regained the UFC Strawweight Championship, becoming the third fighter to hold that title twice. It is difficult to say who will be Zhang’s first challenger, but Amanda Lemos comes to mind when I think about entertaining, fresh bouts to put together. Rose Namajunas also holds two wins over Zhang, so if the UFC wants to revisit that matchup, then they can certainly go in that direction as well.
ISRAEL ADESANYA (23-1, 185) VS ALEX PEREIRA (6-1 184.6) – UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Adesanya and Pereira did not touch gloves to begin the fight. Pereira rushed across the octagon with a jumping kick, but Adesanya dodged the attack. Adesanya started throwing out leg kicks, trying to keep Pereira at range. Pereira responded with some leg kicks of his own, and these kicks certainly had some power behind them. Adesanya went high with a question mark kick, before tagging Pereira with a right hand. Both fighters were trying to sneak in head kicks, while Pereira pressured forward. Pereira connected with a left hook before they began to clinch against the cage. In the round’s final seconds Adesanya rocked Pereira badly with a right hand and a left hook, but there was not enough time left for Adesanya to capitalize.
Both fighters attacked the body in the opening minute of round two. Pereira’s pressure was giving Adesanya some problems, however, Adesanya was largely able to control the fight from at range. Both fighters landed hard shots in a clinch exchange before Adesanya unsuccessfully chased after a single leg. Adesanya connected with a big right hand as they broke apart, but Pereira continued to march forward. Pereira landed a pair of left hands with Adesanya against the cage, and every shot that Pereira was throwing had fight-ending intentions. Adesanya chose to wrap up him in the clinch once more, but Pereira was landing numerous body shots and was arguably winning these exchanges. Late in the round, Pereira connected with a heavy head kick, before taking Adesanya down to end the round.
Adesanya began round three with a heavy right hand. Pereira responded with a heavy knee to the body, but Adesanya was able to take Pereira down and took his back as Pereira attempted to return to his feet. Adesanya started throwing down ground and pound strikes, as Pereira attempted to use the cage to make it back to his feet. Adesanya kept Pereira on the ground for the entirety of this round and ended the round with an axe kick.
Pereira was looking rather tired at the end of the third round but was still throwing with significant power here in the fourth. Adesanya landed a hard right hand, before attacking the body with several kicks. Adesanya eventually closed the distance in search of another takedown, but Pereira was able to keep the bout on the feet. Pereira pressed forward in search of a late moment of significance, but it didn’t come, and I thought this was another round for Adesanya.
Adesanya took Pereira right back to the clinch in the opening minute of round five. Adesanya tripped to the ground at one point, and Pereira flurried forward in an attempt to catch him off guard. While Adesanya survived this exchange, Pereira continued to flurry forward, and he eventually caught Adesanya with a heavy left hook. Adesanya was rocked badly, and while he did his best to recover, Pereira continued to throw bombs Adesanya’s way. Adesanya never went down, but he wasn’t defending himself well, and the fight was eventually stopped.
WINNER: Alex Pereira by TKO at 2:01 of Round 5 to win the UFC Middleweight Championship
Adesanya was likely up on the scorecards going into round five, and Pereira’s corner told him that he was in need of a finish to win this fight. Well, Pereira came into round five with the clear intention of securing a stoppage, and he eventually found it, catching Adesanya with a barrage of hooks against the cage. It was quite the dramatic finish and was very much reminiscent of their second kickboxing bout, where Adesanya had hurt Pereira and was clearly ahead in the fight before Pereira secured the knockout finish. Pereira is now 3-0 against Adesanya in combat sports and is the only fighter to finish Adesanya in both kickboxing as well as MMA. Winning the UFC Middleweight Championship in just his fourth UFC fight is quite the accomplishment, and this will create a shakeup among the middleweight contenders, as fighters who had multiple losses to Adesanya like Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori are suddenly the top contenders for a fight that they would likely be favored in. It’s also possible that they will go in the direction of Pereira/Adesanya 4 despite Pereira’s three victories, just based on the strength of Adesanya’s run as champion, as well as the level of entertainment that this bout provided.
