Israel Adesanya managed to halt the Brazilian juggernaut Alex Pereira in Miami. Unfortunately, their last three meetings didn’t bode well for the Lagos-born fighter. The duo met on April 2, 2016, in Shenzhen, China, during a pro-kickboxing event. The New Zealander lost the bout via unanimous decision. A year later, their second kickboxing meeting in Sao Paulo turned disastrous when Adesanya had no answers to the Brazilian’s left hook.

Misfortune followed Adesanya four years later when Pereira outpunched him during UFC281 in New York City on November 12 last year. Had there been a lesser man, thoughts of retirement would have gobbled up his mind. But there’s a reason why Israel Adesanya is rated among the best mixed martial artists of our time.

The UFC 287 on April 8, in Kaseya Center, has already raked in nearly $12 million through ticket sales. Of course, there were other great fights in the main card, but Israel Adesanya’s convincing return has been the topic of conversation.

Israel Adesanya created a legacy that moved Muhammad Ali’s grandson

Boxing’s most excellent, Muhammad Ali‘s grandson, Nico Ali Walsh, is keen to his legendary grandfather’s torch. The twenty-two-year-old boxer from Chicago started his professional journey two years ago, participating in and winning eight bouts. Active on Instagram with around 240k followers, time and again, Walsh calls attention to interesting stories and snippets. Take, for instance, when he shared Conor McGregor’s rapping response during UFC 205’s pre-fight press conference, which sharply resembled the style his grandfather aced in his heydays.

Early morning today, he shared a clip of Israel Adesanya’s post-fight Octagon Interview during UFC 287, where he defeated archrival Alex Pereira through a second-round knockout. The Nigerian-New Zealander fighter said, “People, Earth, I need to say something. Listen to me. I hope behind your screens on this Arena can feel this level of Happiness just one time in your life.“

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WBC’s ‘Prospect of the Year’ 2022, who, through a prior post, messaged about announcing his next fight. Perhaps, Adesanya’s momentous victory inspired him greatly. Hence he wants people not to give up quickly despite the enormity of hardships.

Israel Adesanya later added, “…if you don’t go for something in your own life when they knock you down where they’re trying on you when they talk about you, and they’re trying to put their foot on your neck if you stay down. You will never ever get that resolve fortify your mind and feel this level of Happiness….”

Besides the Adesanya – Pereira fight, other bouts that grabbed everyone’s attention, among others, were Gilburt Burns and Kevin Gestlum‘s unanimous victory over Jorge Masvidal and Chris Curtis, respectively. Adesanya has once again become UFC’s Middleweight Champion, winning it a second time. The first time he won it in 2019 and defended it successfully till last November when Pereira usurped him.

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Who is your favorite mixed martial artist of all time? Do let us know your views and opinions on Izzy’s UFC 287 win in the comments down below.

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