UFC 287: Kaseya Center; Miami, Florida
Sometimes in athletics two- people are just the perfect foil for one another. And that can also change on a dime. A come from behind win, snatching a loss from the hands of victory. Both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira doing their thing for the fourth-time overall. While the UFC may not like booking fights between opponents over and over again, the rivalry won’t end here.
Simply put, because noone in the rest of the division have established themselves as truly next up. In the three-outings, Adesanya seemed to be in control. Until he wasn’t. This time he set the perfect trap for someone who has less than half the experience than he does.
Backing up against the cage and shelling up was his version of rope-a-dope. Granted, he had to survive being teed off on. He was then able to land a perfect counter right hand, followed it up with another, then a left. They crumbled the Brazilian champion, and hammer fists ended it all at 4:21 of round-two.
After the fight he admitted he needed to lose to become better. Something, that many champions like Mark Messier, for example talk about. But it wasn’t all sunshine for Adesanya. Both of his legs got chewed up by Pereira’s kicks. And when they increased the pace in the round, “Poatan” landed better strikes.
The Rivalry Won’t End Here… Let’s Do It Again And Again
One of Adesanya’s best gifts is his absolute belief in himself. With his back against the wall, he locked himself in. This time he didn’t even need his wrestling. Looking forward, they very easily can do this again in early fall. Or Adesanya can sit and wait until another fighter steps up.
Knowing how much of a competitor Adesanya is, he won’t want to sit too long. Especially since Pereira can’t be counted out with his power.
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