Watch:- Israel Adesanya Shares Training Footage Mimicking Alex Pereira Knockout at UFC 287

Israel Adesanya has been in the headlines after reclaiming his middleweight title at UFC 287. He successfully executed a knockout that saw him put an empathetic end to his rivalry with Alex Pereira. While many people may not know, ‘The Last Stylebender’ had been putting in the work to replicate the knockout during training.

Adesanya is now one of the greatest middleweight fighters in the history of the UFC after becoming the first two-time champion of the division. However, his win over his biggest rival wasn’t luck but pure planning.

Israel Adesanya knocks out Alex Pereira at UFC 287

The first round of the fight didn’t have much action, since both fighters were sizing up their opponents to land some good blows on each other. However, when the second round started, Adesanya found his back against the cage. Alex Pereira started teeing off on ‘The Last Stylebender’ and landed a few strikes.

But that was Adesanya’s plan all along. He made ‘Poatan’ feel like he was in control of the fight when the Nigerian-born fighter landed two solid right hands and followed it up with another two strikes to turn Pereira’s lights out. Despite facing significant adversity, Adesanya regained his Middleweight title, defeating his rival, who had beaten him three times in two sports.

‘The Last Stylebender’ planned the knockout during training

Israel Adesanya recently posted a video on his YouTube channel, ‘Freestylebender’. He rewatched the fight against Alex Pereira and, interestingly, showed how he had been preparing for the knockout all along. He wanted Pereira to fall into his trap. Adesanya said, “I wanted him to get comfortable. He [Pereira] thinks I am a punching bag now.”

He also mentioned that he’s a different breed than the other fighters ‘Poatan’ has fought against. Adesanya said, “I am not all these other guys who you fight with, bro. I am not these other f***ing blood clots.” The video shows how the new middleweight champion had been sparring with his partners to lure Pereira into the position for Adesanya to knock him into oblivion.

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Adesanya’s knockout is one of the potential candidates for the ‘Knockout of the Year’ honor. The event was also memorable since it was the first time since 2003 that the UFC had hosted an event in Miami. We will have to wait and see what Israel Adesanya has in store for the fans in the future.

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