Israel Adesanya (33, New Zealand), who defeated Alex Pereira (35, Brazil) and won the championship belt, said, “Revenge is sweet.”
Adesanya defeated Pereira by KO in 4 minutes and 21 seconds of the second round in the main event middleweight title fight of ‘UFC 287: Ferreira vs Adesanya 2’ held at Date Arena in Miami, Florida, USA on the 9th (Korean time) and became the champion.
It broke the nightmare that lasted for 7 years. Adesanya has lost to Pereira three times since 2016, twice in kickboxing and once in mixed martial arts (MMA).
In particular, the defeat in November last year was even more bitter. Adesanya, who reigned as the undisputed champion with 12 consecutive UFC middleweight wins, lost the UFC middleweight title to Ferreira, who pursued him in kickboxing, by knockout in the fifth round.
Adesanya gnashed his teeth. Since the day he lost his belt, he has been immersed in training without a single moment of rest. And the result was a nice strategy and finish.
Adesanya lured Pereira in the second round by pretending to have suffered leg damage. Pereira followed the limping Adesanya in and unleashed punches and knee kicks for the finish.
Adesanya, who blocked Pereira’s attack by raising his guard, dealt great damage to Ferreira with a lightning-like right hand overhand hook. Then, he threw another overhand hook right away, and Pereira fainted and couldn’t get up.
Adesanya said in an interview after the match, “They say revenge is sweet, but it’s really sweet. I hope all of you can feel this happiness.” 안전놀이터
He added, “If you don’t pursue something in life, you’ll never feel this happiness. You’ll never get this result if you just stay still when people criticize you and step on your neck. Be brave. And then, I hope you feel the rising feeling. It only happens once in a lifetime.”
Adesanya also expressed his gratitude to his nemesis Pereira, saying, “The hunter is now hunted. I am grateful that Pereira defeated me. Thanks to him, I have become a better fighter now.”
Finally, Adesanya said, “I lost the belt, but Ferreira is a great champion. He will always be the champion.” He said, “I am the villain in Ferreira’s story. But today was my story. This is history.” declared that