Alex
"Poatan"
Pereira
"The Last Stylebender"
Israel
Adesanya
Nigeria versus Brazil, dominant force versus arch-rival, technique versus punching power. It's already one of the most cinematic rivalries in UFC history. Before the big rematch at UFC 287, we take a look at the fight history of the two.
Glorious in China
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira first met in February 2016. At the time, at 26 and 28, still far from a dazzling UFC career, the two competed in the middleweight division of the Chinese kickboxing league GLORY.
Adesanya hit Pereira more often than the other way around, but "Poatan" landed the more incisive combinations and punches that visibly damaged Adesanya. Depending on your perspective, Pereira slowed down toward the end, but Adesanya couldn't really capitalize, and the fight ultimately went the full three rounds. Pereira won by unanimous decision.
In the run-up to UFC 276, Adesanya stated that he felt robbed and sharply criticized the fight's decision. He made it clear that the defeat bothered him with these words:
"Who's actually seen the whole fight? Hands up... That's one, two, three people, four, five. In a room full of how many? Exactly, you're journalists, doing your f------ job". "I f----- this guy up in the first fight. Not crazy, but the judges gave it to him."
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After this loss, Adesanya rebounded and entered a GLORY middleweight challenger tournament. However, he failed to win the title, losing to Jason Wilnis by unanimous decision.
Pereira würde schließlich im Jahr 2017 den GLORY-Mittelgewichtstitel gewinnen und fünfmal verteidigen.
Reunions are a joy
The second encounter between the two took place in GLORY of Heroes 7 in 2017.
In Pereira's hometown of Sao Paolo, Brazil, Adesanya was initially the aggressor, setting the tone early in the fight and overwhelming Pereira with his outstanding kickboxing technique.
By the second round, Adesanya had Pereira on the ropes. It looked as if he was going to avenge his first-round defeat.
However, things turned out differently. In the third round, Pereira landed a devastating blow to the chin that knocked Adesanya to the ground. This was the first time Adesanya had been knocked out in a professional fight.
Adesanya’s reaction:
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“It's a beautiful story for him. In his backyard, down two rounds, in the third round he comes and knocks me out. It's a beautiful story for him.”
This was Adesanya's last professional kickboxing fight.
Separate ways
After another defeat, Adesanya embarked on a career as a mixed martial artist and signed a contract with the UFC in February 2018. He promptly won his first six fights and won the middleweight title against Robert Whittaker in October 2019.
Until his rematch with Pereira, Adesanya was never defeated in his division and showed dominant performances time and time again.
Pereira remained in kickboxing, winning the GLORY light heavyweight and middleweight titles. His last kickboxing fight took place in 2021. In November of that year, he joined the UFC and quickly reached a 3-0 record.
The knockout victory against potential challenger Sean Strickland catapulted Pereira to the middleweight title fight and the third duel against Israel Adesanya.
Prelude to the showdown
So, a rematch was inevitable. Experts and journalists were extremely hyped up in the run-up to the fight, as Pereira was once again a fighter who, in terms of skill, could pose a threat to Adesanya. The middleweight division suffered from the Nigerian's dominance, and the last stylebender won many title fights by a landslide without ever really being in danger.
Pereira was therefore the hope of those who longed for a breath of fresh air in the middleweight division.
In the press conferences before their first UFC fight, which took place on the UFC 281 card, it was already clear that the two didn't like each other. The interesting thing: rarely had two such confident opponents been seen before. Both Pereira and Adesanya were brimming with confidence and showed it off in the run-up to the fight. Bookmakers and experts were divided; due to his greater MMA experience, many considered Adesanya the slight favorite.
What followed was an absolute thriller...
The Decision Part 1
Adesanya delivered a dominant performance at the start of the fight, culminating in a final blow at the end of the first round. Shortly before the break, Adesanya landed a right hook on Pereira. The challenger staggered to his corner after the bell sounded. A classic example of the oft-used phrase "saved by the bell."
Otherwise, it was an extremely tense fight. Pereira landed numerous leg kicks, while Adesanya repeatedly attempted to ground the Brazilian, but he was only moderately successful. Nevertheless, the champion managed to deliver the overall better performance, winning three of the first four rounds.
Going into the fifth round, Pereira knew a point victory wouldn't work in his favor. He needed a knockout. What followed is legendary.
Due to a missed leg kick by Adesanya, the fight picked up pace in the second minute of the final round. Pereira applied pressure, while Adesanya was in reverse. Pereira managed to gain control of the center of the ring and exerted enormous pressure on the champion, who was backed up against the fence.
After some good punch combinations from the challenger, referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight three minutes before the end.
Pereira won by TKO and suddenly became champion.
The Hollywood-worthy story had reached its climax.
Revenge is sweet - Decision Part 2
Am Sonntag, dem 9. April 2023 fand in Miami das große Rematch um Gold im Mittelgewicht statt. Vor dem Aufeinandertreffen war klar, das dieses Matchup ein sehr richtungsweisendes werden würde. Mit einer erneuten Niederlage hätte Adesanya wohl die Handschuhe an den Nagel hängen können. Ein erneutes Durchbeißen durch die Middleweight-Division hätte sich der Stylebender ziemlich sicher nicht angetan. Doch es sollte alles anders kommen.
Pereira startete den Kampf gut, sah wie immer gefährlich aus und konnte "Izzy" mit einigen guten Kicks wehtun. Der Brasilianer leckte nach ein paar starken Waden-Kicks Blut und drängte den Neuseeländer gegen den Käfig. Es sah nach einem erneuten Sieg für Pereira aus, welcher die Rivalität ein für alle mal beendet hätte. Doch der unermüdliche Adesanya hatte einen anderen Plan: Mit dem Rücken zum Käfig holte er aus dem Nichts zu zwei gewaltigen Rechten aus und knockte den von vielen als zu aggressiv und ungeduldig bezeichneten Pereira innerhalb zwei grandioser Schläge eiskalt aus.
Adesanya zelebrierte diese Kombination mit genau dem Jubel, der normalerweise Poatans Markenzeichen
ist - dem Bow & Arrow. Ein weiteres Indiz dafür, wie groß die Rivalität der beiden Kämpfer wirklich ist/war und wieviel Last dem Nigerianer mit diesem Sieg von den Schultern fiel.
Er bekam also seine Rache. Eine Rache die wohl süßer nicht schmecken könnte: Ein eiskaltes Knockout gegen den Mann, der ihn zuvor so viele Jahre verfolgte und besiegte. Den Mann, der sein größter Rivale und Alptraum gewesen war. Isreal Adesanya dürfte das Thema Alex "Poatan" Pereira vorerst ad acta gelegt haben, trotz eines insgesamten Scores von 3-1 pro Pereira. Der Neuseeländer war wieder Champion und Herrscher seines Middleweights.
Wieviel ihm dieser Sieg bedeutete, kann man an seinen Worten im Post-Fight-Interview messen:
'I hope every one of you behind the screens can feel this level of happiness just one time in your life. (...) 'Fortify your mind, and feel this level of happiness once in your life, I am blessed to be able to feel this s*** again and again and again and again.' 'In his story I'm the antagonist. I'm the bad guy, but tonight it's my story.'
Am Ende trug also der Stylebender das bessere Ende davon. Die Villain-Story Pereiras, die Adesanyas schillernde UFC-Karriere beenden hätte können, bleibt jedoch für immer in den Geschichtsbüchern stehen.
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