The UFC has continued to schedule exciting matchups. We’ve seen plenty of superstars take the octagon this year, but last Saturdays (10/12) may have been the fight of the year. Alex Pereira squaring off with Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship was the highlight of UFC 281.
The fights were held in Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. The excitement for this fight was massive. The UFC was able to sell out the arena for the fights.
Early on we saw a lot of action. There were plenty of spectacular moments leading up to the main event. A fan favorite, Molly “Meatball” McCann, was unfortunately finished by her opponent just three and a half minutes into the fight. She lost via submission to a kimura.
Following the preliminary bouts, we got to see an excellent line up of fighters. It was sure to be an entertaining night. Dan Hooker, a long time UFC veteran, kicked off the main card with an outstanding victory over his opponent via TKO. This win solidified Hooker as a contender in the lightweight division, he certainly earned his money fight.
The next fight of the night was also one for the ages. Frankie Edgar was brutally knocked out by Chris Guttierez. Guttierez landed a knee to Edgar’s head in the first round which appeared to knock him out-cold immediately. The first couple of fights gave the fans a taste of what the rest of the night would be like.
One of the more anticipated fights of the night featured superstar fighters Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. Two of the top lightweights in the world going head to head. This fight was filled with non-stop action, each man attempting to gain the upper hand. Going into the third and final round, the fight appeared to be tied. The two exchanged blows, and Chandler shot for a takedown. Poirier was able to reverse position on Chandler and lock up a choke. Poirier emerged victorious in an electrifying fight, one I certainly wouldn’t mind watching again.
For the next two fights of the evening, a championship would be on the line. Carla Esparza was attempting to defend her title against Weili Zhang, in the women’s strawweight division. Zhang certainly outclassed Esparza in their co-main event matchup, cruising her way to a second round submission of the champ. It will be interesting to see who fights for this title next, as the women’s divisions in the UFC do not run as deep as the Men’s.
The main event was possibly the most anticipated fight in recent history. It was certainly one of the most entertaining. Alex “Poatan” Pereira challenged Israel “The Last Style Bender” Adesanya for the Middleweight championship.
What made this fight so interesting was the history between these two fighters. If you’re reading this I’m sure you’re aware of Adesanya’s combat sports resume. He was a professional kick-boxer for many years, and the only man to beat him more than once? None other than Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira.
Pereira defeated Adesanya twice in the past. But that was kickboxing. Adesanya has been an established mixed martial artist for years. They are not the same sport. On top of this, Pereira had only fought in 6 professional MMA bouts before fighting for the championship. Given, Adesanya was the betting favorite for the fight.
These are two of the best in the world, regardless of what happened in the past. It was sure to be a good show. Adesanya started off on fire. He was avoiding strikes, and landing his own with extreme power. It seemed as if he was a step ahead of Pereira.
As the fight went on, the challenger grew visibly fatigued. Pereira was undoubtedly the larger man in the fight, estimated to have weighed over 215 pounds on fight night (less than 36 hours after weighing in at 184.5 lbs). His exaggerated weight cut seemed to affect him in the long run, as he seemed gassed out in the final few rounds.
Pereira made it to the fifth round. Down on the scorecards, his only path to victory was to finish the champion. His coaches made him aware of this before the final round, repeating to him “Five minutes. Enough. Enough. You need to get to him. You need to approach him, okay? You have to knock him out. You need to knock him out,” in his native portuguese.
In stunning fashion; Pereira did just that. He walked Adesanya back to the cage, and landed a barrage of punches on him. Adesanya began to stumble, and Poatan did not let up. He landed vicious uppercut after vicious uppercut, forcing the referee to step in and end the fight.
Alex Pereira became the middleweight champion of the UFC in his 7th professional MMA fight. He has unlimited potential in this sport. His next fight will likely be a rematch with Adesanya, but be on the lookout for a potential meeting with Khamzat Chimaev.