Alex Pereira has knocked Israel Adesanya out to become the new UFC middleweight champion.
Gatekeepers News reports that Pereira ended Adesanya’s reign atop the division on Sunday morning.
The 33-year-old fought a near-perfect fight as he had Pereira out on his feet at the end of Round 1, but the Brazilian returned the favour in Round 5 to snatch the title.
Adesanya was seeking revenge after losing two fights to Pereira in kickboxing back in 2016 and 2017.
Just before the end of the first round, Nigerian-New Zealander landed a huge shot that sent Pereira to the ground.
Pereira dominated ‘The Last Stylebender’ and landed the takedown to level the judges’ scorecard at the end of the second round.
In the fifth round, Pereira knocked Adesanya out. The Nigerian was likely up on the scorecards, three rounds to one when he slipped in the middle of the octagon.
Although he tried to recover, it was the beginning of the end. The moment Adesanya retreated to the fence, Pereira followed and landed punches on his face, stunning him and nearly knocking him unconscious.
Referee Marc Goddard ended the fight as Adesanya’s body went limp, though ‘The Last Stylebender’ protested the stoppage as he attempted to regain his composure.
The result ended Adesanya’s title reign at six defenses and likely sets up a rematch sometime soon.
