In the main event of UFC 287 held at the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida on Sunday morning, Israel Adesanya clinched the UFC middleweight title from Alex Pereira. Adesanya secured a stunning knockout in the second round to defeat his long-standing rival Pereira.
This marks Adesanya’s first triumph over Pereira, who had previously taken the title from him with a brutal fifth-round knockout in November 2022. Pereira had also defeated Adesanya twice prior to that fight at Maddison Square Garden in New York.
Ultimately, Adesanya capitalized on what was likely his final opportunity to defeat Pereira, improving his MMA record to 24-2 (13-2 UFC). Meanwhile, Pereira (7-2 MMA) suffered his initial defeat in the UFC (4-1 UFC).
