After Alex Pereira had scored three wins over Israel Adesanya across kickboxing and mixed martial arts, it was fair to think he simply had Adesanya's number. In the main event of UFC 287 on Saturday night in Miami, Adesanya changed that story, scoring a brutal second-round knockout to once again become middleweight champion.
Pereira had brutalized Adesanya's legs with kicks from the start of the fight, returning to one of the primary techniques that had wore down Adesanya in their previous meeting at UFC 281. In that fight, Adesanya had controlled the action for most of the fight before the leg kicks took a toll and helped set up a Pereira flurry to score the come-from-behind knockout and end Adesanya's time as champion.
Those same kicks landed early and often for Pereira on Saturday. Adesanya continued to fire back with his own kicks and heavy punches but Pereira stalked forward consistently.
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In the second round, the constant abuse to his calf muscles seemed to have Adesanya on the verge of being finished yet again. After Adesanya's leg buckled, Pereira followed him to the cage and unloaded with a brutal flurry of punches and knees.
Pereira did not remain defensively responsible during the attempt at a fight-ending flurry and Adesanya quickly shifted from covering up to unloading a massive right-hand counter. That shot sent Pereira stumbling and another right hand put him down. A follow-up shot on the ground landed for Adesanya, bringing the fight to a close at the 4:21 mark of Round 2.
Prior to their UFC 281 meeting, Pereira and Adesanya had fought twice in the kickboxing ring. In the first meeting, Pereira took a close and somewhat controversial decision. The kickboxing rematch ended much more decisively, with Pereira putting Adesanya to sleep in the third round.
Just over seven years after they first battled, Adesanya finally got the better of Pereira and he was overjoyed with the result.
"I hope all of you can feel how f---ing happy I am just once in your life," Adesanya said after the fight. "But guess what? You will never feel this level of happiness if you don't go for something in your own life. When they knock you down, when they try and shit on you, when they talk shit about you and they try and put their foot on your neck, if you stay down, you will never get that resolve. Fortify your mind and feel this level of happiness one time in your life. I'm blessed to be able to feel this shit again and again and again and again and again. ... They say revenge is sweet. If you know me, you know I got a sweet tooth. This is f---ing sweet."
In the co-main event, Gilbert Burns made his presence known to the rest of the welterweight division with an emphatic decision win over veteran Jorge Masvidal. Burns, who previously fought Kamaru Usman for the title, said he's only fighting for the championship next, whether it's current titleholder Leon Edwards or Colby Covington.
Plus, a pair of rising prospects learned hard lessons on the main card on Saturday night. Teenager Raul Rosas Jr. suffered his first pro defeat when he was beaten by Christian Rodriguez to open the PPV. Rosas Jr. dominated the first round with his grappling and wrestling as he threatened with submission attempts, but Rodriguez took over from there as Rosas Jr. quickly ran out of gas. And Rob Font put an end to the Adrian Yanez hype train with a vicious first-round knockout. Yanez entered on a five-fight win streak with four of those coming by finish.
CBS Sports was be with you the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 287 below.
UFC 287 card and results
- Israel Adesanya def. Alex Pereira (c) via second-round TKO (punches)
- Gilbert Burns def. Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Rob Font def. Adrian Yanez via first-round TKO (punches)
- Kevin Holland def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via third-round TKO (punches)
- Christian Rodriguez def. Raul Rosas Jr. via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kelvin Gastelum def. Chris Curtis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Luana Pinheiro def. Michelle Waterson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Joe Pyfer def. Gerald Meerschaert via first-round TKO (punches)
- Loopy Godinez def. Cynthia Calvillo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Ignacio Bahamondes def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Steve Garcia def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via second-round TKO (strikes)
- Sam Hughes def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)