Israel Adesanya won his 13th fight out of 15 UFC matches by defeating his longtime opponent Alex Pereira with a knockout strike. In doing so, he avenged the three defeats that Pereira gave him before: two in kickboxing in 2016 and 2017, and one at UFC 281 last November. He lost to Pereira at that match and the latter earned a fifth-round knockout win which rewarded with the title belt.
Adesanya, who is from Nigeria, but now lives in New Zealand said “I hope all of you can experience true happiness at least once during your life. But here’s the thing – if you don’t try and take risks, you won’t ever reach that point where you are truly content. If something knocks you down, don’t stay there! Instead, build up your determination and confidence and you’ll be able to tap into true happiness again and again.”
Gilbert Burns, a fighter from Brazil, beat Jorge Masvidal in the co-main event and then said he wanted to fight for the British welterweight title that is held by Leon Edwards. UFC president Dana White previously said Colby Covington would get the next shot at Leon Edwards but if Gilbert wins his second fight in a row, he might get the chance to try for the title. Gilbert said, “I’m willing to take on whoever at any time.”
“If they ask me to do a fight, I know what I’m gonna say – I’m going to fight Leon Edwards!”
Masvidal, who is 38 years old, just announced his retirement after having a great career of twenty years and winning 35 times in 52 fights. – UFC sports also plans on making their return to London in July.
Adesanya and Pereira
Adesanya claims that him feuding with Pereira is the most legendary battle ever in MMA.
After Adesanya lost two kickboxing fights in 2017, he opted to concentrate on MMA and later became the UFC middleweight champion in 2019 and held his title for three years – defending it a total of five times.
Pereira had been a kickboxing champion and was looking for more success, so he followed Adesanya to the UFC. After winning his first three fights Pereira got an immediate chance at a title fight and won against Adesanya. So now there’s going to be a rematch between them very soon. As part of his entrance, Adesanya was wearing a dog collar saying that it symbolized that as soon as it was off, he would be ready to fight in the octagon.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan found Pereira’s walkout quite amazing. During his walkout, he stopped halfway and mimicked firing a bow and arrow as a sign of respect to his Brazilian culture.
When the fight started, both fighters were throwing lots of fake attacks and attacking with leg kicks. Adesanya was trying to stay away from Pereira’s strong left hook and keep him going backwards.
The second round of the fight really heated up! Pereira tried to turn up the pressure and move in closer, as he did so in their last battle. However, this time Adesanya was able to act quickly and punch him twice firmly enough that it knocked Pereira off his feet. After this, Adesanya shouted in joy and then imitated Pereira’s bow & arrow taunt to celebrate.
Adesanya won the fight and became a two-time middleweight champion, defeating Pereira who had not previously lost any of their five UFC fights. Adesanya said “I told you the hunter is now the hunted. Thank you for beating me because that made me become a better fighter and person.” He also added that he worked really hard in this camp since usually he likes taking vacations, but instead he stayed focused on practicing to improve himself.
“Masvidal Retires After Fourth Loss in UFC”
Before the fight, Masvidal hinted that he would retire if he lost against Burns. He was hoping to win an impressive fight in Miami, where his fans are from, so he can challenge Edwards in a title bout. Masvidal and Edwards had gotten into a fight in 2019 and were supposed to face each other in December 2021, but Masvidal got injured and pulled out of the fight.
Burns won the fight against Masvidal, throwing out some heavy punchs in the last round. After after his fourth loss, Masvidal took off his gloves and decided to quit. Since he was participating in UFC fights almost for 22 times, Masvidal successfully finished 17 of them with a record-breaking 5 seconds knockout of Ben Askren in 2019.
Masvidal said, “I haven’t felt the same about basketball for a while now. Twenty years ago, UFC motivated me to chase my dreams and I hope it did the same for someone else, whether that be sports, entertainment or working nine-to-five. I started out with nothing but now I’m wealthy and set for life – it’s been a long journey and I really appreciate you all!”
Raul Rosas Jr, who is 18 years old, just became the youngest person ever to fight in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Unfortunately for him, he was not able to win his match against 25-year-old Christian Rodriguez and lost the fight. Raul joined the promotion last year and won his first match in December 2020.
