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ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 13: (L-R) UFC President Dana White places the interim middleweight championship belt on Israel Adesanya after defeating Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision in their interim middleweight championship bout during the UFC 236 event at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 13: (L-R) UFC President Dana White places the interim middleweight championship belt on Israel Adesanya after defeating Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision in their interim middleweight championship bout during the UFC 236 event at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Israel Adesanya, the now two-time middleweight champion, successfully reclaimed his title by defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287. The highly anticipated bout was a rematch of their UFC 281 fight that Pereira won. However, Adesanya proved to be the better fighter this time, securing a knockout in the second round over his Brazilian opponent.
Adesanya and Pereira share a long-standing rivalry, which began in Glory Kickboxing. The two fighters have so far faced each other twice in kickboxing and twice in MMA. Notably, Pereira emerged the victor in all two of the kickboxing bouts and their first fight at UFC 281. However, Adesanya has seemingly learned from his previous losses and came prepared to take down his opponent this time.
Israel Adesanya about Miami and the late Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson
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In the post-fight conference, Adesanya praised Miami, the venue for the UFC event. He expressed his love for the city and stated that Miami loves him too. ‘The Last Stylebender’ stated that he visited Miami before, in 2015, to help former UFC fighter Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in his fight.
Adesanya had nothing but positive things to say about the city and was looking forward to showing Miami a good time. Adesanya also paid tribute to ‘Rumble’ Johnson, who passed away in 2022.
“I love Miami, Miami loves me. That’s not my first time here, I was here in 2015 to help ‘Rumble’ Johnson. Rest in peace to a great man. I was here to help him in 2015 in his fight and Miami showed me a good time,” he said. Adesanya also hinted at his celebration party, which is held in Miami. “I’m back here, I have been working and it’s time to show Miami a good time. I gotta roll. I will see you at 11 in Miami,” he added.
A brief look into Anthony Johnson’s MMA career
Anthony Johnson is one of the most renowned light heavyweights in UFC history. He held an MMA record of 23 wins against 6 losses. He was called ‘Rumble’ because of his one-punch KO power. ‘Rumble’ faced some of the best UFC fighters like Daniel Cormier, Glover Teixeira, and Vitor Belfort.
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LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 20: Anthony Johnson celebrates his first-round knockout win over Glover Teixeira in their light heavyweight bout at the UFC 202 event at T-Mobile Arena on August 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Johnson retired from MMA in 2017 but returned in 2021 to win his last fight via KO. Unfortunately, Johnson passed away on November 13, 2022, from Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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Izzy’s tribute to ‘Rumble’ Johnson was a touching moment and showed the camaraderie that exists within the UFC community. It is clear that Adesanya loves the city of Miami. The city’s residents will certainly be eagerly waiting to see another UFC PPV in the city soon.
Watch This Story: The Saga Of Bad Blood Between Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya
