UFC star Israel Adesanya redeemed himself when he pulled a right hammer punch and laid his rival Alex Pereira stiff on the mat at UFC 287. The fourth time turned out to be the charm as he reclaimed his middleweight crown on April 8. The New Zealander delivered what he promised and finally settled the scores with the Brazilian fighter.

Unleashing his inner dog, ‘The Last Stylebender’ bridged the minuscule gap that separated him from getting his hand raised inside the ring on the previous three occasions against ‘Poatan’. As the middleweight title exchanged hands at the Kaseya Center in Miami, the celebrations erupted in a different corner of the world.

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou burst out with exhilaration when his close friend overcome the greatest impediment of his career. The heavyweight fighter, who is good friends with the 33-year-old champion, understood what the victory meant for his friend who trailed 0-3 before coming into the fight. Further, he believed the comprehensive victory on Saturday night also settled the middleweight GOAT debate.

Francis Ngannou labels Israel Adesanya the best middleweight of all time

The former UFC associate took to his social media handle as he shared the visuals of him celebrating the Kiwi fighter’s success. In addition, he hailed Adesanya as the ‘best middleweight of all time’.

Thus, he wrote, “BEST MIDDLEWEIGHT OF ALL THE TIME and I’m not arguing with anyone. Period. #3KINGS FOREVER 🤴🏿 @stylebender”

In a separate message, he underlined Adesanya’s dog collar’s significance. Significantly, it kept the 24-2 record holder focused ahead of the awaited rematch. Therefore, he pointed out, “Unleashed the dog @stylebender”

Disposing of his psychological baggage, Adesanya amassed a splendid victory by playing “possum”.

Adesanya baits Alex Pereira to win the title at UFC 287

The City Kickboxing representative started the fight on a firm foot as his jabs and combinations did effective damage. Likewise, he led the first round on judges’ scores.

In the second round, the former Glory champion picked up the pace and troubled Adesanya with his powerful punches. While he put the pressure on, he committed the mistake of discarding Adesanya’s striking acumen. He played into Adesanya’s game plan as the Nigerian-Kiwi fighter lured him in and delivered a devastating blow.

In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, the newly crowned champion admitted, “I played possum a bit.”

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What do you think of UFC champion Israel Adesanya’s heroics at UFC 287? What did you make of Ngannou’s claims? Do you believe Adesanya cemented his legacy as the greatest middleweight of all time? Let us know in the comments below.

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