Alex Pereira became the undisputed middleweight UFC champion, defeating Israel Adesanya on a technical knock-out.
It was a stunning come-from-behind victory with Pereira, competing in just his fourth UFC fight and eighth overall MMA fight, billed as the underdog against Adesanya who was attempting to win a record sixth consecutive title defense. And for much of the fight, it seemed as though Adesanya would achieve that record with Pereira languishing behind on the judges’ scorecards until the final round.
Pereira had won both bouts, becoming the only man to ever knock out Adesanya. Adesanya landed the first decisive blow of the night with a one-two that had Pereira reeling but it came in the final seconds of the first round, allowing the 35-year-old to recover for the next round. And the defending champion’s onslaught continued in the next three rounds, leaving Adesanya ahead on all three judges’ scorecards going into the fifth and final round.
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