A new king sits atop the UFC middleweight division.
Alex Pereira earned a wild comeback fifth-round TKO victory over Israel Adesanya to win the 185-pound title in the main event of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden.
Pereira entered the final stanza in need of a finish after Adesanya took three of the first four rounds and seemed en route to defending his crown again.
The Brazilian unleashed a flurry of strikes on Adesanya that hurt the champion and briefly sent him stumbling to the ground. Pereira continued the attack when a clearly dazed Adesanya got back up, forcing the referee to step in to end the fight, which Adesanya immediately protested.
It caps a meteoric rise for Pereira, who was fighting in only his fourth UFC bout after moving over from kickboxing, where he was an all-time great. Pereira was fast-tracked to a title shot thanks in large part to his two kickboxing wins over Adesanya, which included a knockout victory.
Adesanya sealed a competitive first round with a huge right hand late on, with the bell seemingly saving Pereira from being finished. Pereira recovered well in the second, keeping Adesanya pressed against the fence in striking exchanges, landing several hard shots, and completing a takedown in the final moments.
Usually an almost exclusively stand-up fighter, Adesanya switched gears and used his superior wrestling skills to dominate the third round and drain the inexperienced Pereira's gas tank. The champion got into his groove on the feet to claim the fourth over Pereira, who produced little offensive output.
But it seems Pereira was saving his energy for a Hail Mary attack in the fifth round to hand Adesanya just his second defeat in mixed martial arts and his first at middleweight.
Adesanya was riding a 12-fight win streak at 185 pounds, including six wins in title fights. His only other loss was to then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz after attempting to move up a weight class in 2021.
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