Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter (MMA) Alex Pereira lost ahead of schedule from New Zealand to Israel Adesanya and failed to defend his title as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion in the middleweight category.
The fight took place as part of the main event of the UFC 287 tournament held in Miami, USA and ended in the second round. The New Zealander overturned the existing belt holder.
Prior to this fight, Pereira and Adesanya had met twice in kickboxing fights. Both times the Brazilian won (by points and by knockout). In November 2022, Pereira defeated Adesanya (5th round TKO) at UFC 281 in New York, USA.
Adesanya, 33, had 24 wins and two losses, while Pereira, 35, had seven wins and two losses.
Previously, Javier Mendez, former coach of Russian UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, commented rumors about a possible return to the octagon of his former ward.
A few days ago, Khabib Nurmagomedov hinted at his return to sports this summer on his social networks.