A first-round KO of Sean Strickland at UFC 276 rewarded Pereira with a top-five ranking and a UFC title shot in just his fourth fight with the promotion.

A feat worth celebrating, but one eclipsed by Pereira's accelerated rise through the ranks. Adesanya will test the quality of his kickboxing game against arguably the only fighter who can meet or exceed it, former two-division Glory kickboxing champion Pereira.Īdesanya fought his way to the UFC interim middleweight and undisputed middleweight titles in his sixth and seventh UFC fights, respectively. A story-rich headliner for the promotion's return to Madison Square Garden in New York City.Īdesanya, armed with a sublime and stifling striking game, builds his case as the greatest middleweight of all time with each successful title defense. Adesanya defends his UFC middleweight champion against Alex Pereira, a vicious striker who defeated Adesanya twice in the kickboxing circuit and remains the only person in combat sports to knock him out. A ghost from Israel Adesanya's past returns at UFC 281 on Saturday night.

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