UFC 281 turned out to be a feast for the fans. Notably, the Madison Square Garden event tied the promotion’s record of 7 first-round stoppages. Similarly, another stoppage changed the middleweight division’s dynamics, as Alex Pereira claimed the title of a come-from-behind performance. However, the nature of the stoppage divided the opinions of the fans. And the former champion, Israel Adesanya, recently broke his silence on the same.
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‘The Last Stylebender’ took to YouTube to express his opinion on the Nov. 12 main event.
The Nigerian fighter sat down and rewatched his UFC 281 title clash as broke down the critical moments of the fight. Significantly, Adesanya renewed his rivalry with his Glory kickboxing days’ boogeyman, Alex Pereira, in the said event.
What did Israel Adesanya reveal about the stoppage?
What might come as a shock loss to some fans, the former middleweight dictator lost the fight in the final round. And once again, Perreira’s right punch proved to be his kryptonite.
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 06: Israel Adesanya makes his way to the Octagon for the Middleweight title bout during UFC 243 at Marvel Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Stopping the video at the decisive point, the noted MMA fighter said, “Shift, shift. It was here. It was that right hand… Um, and then my legs started to give. Right here, I was still fine. So I’m trying to move my head. I’m like what the f**k! It was way too soon.”
Following this, the City Kickboxing team representative admitted that he was rocked at that moment. However, the former Glory title challenger maintained that it was just a stumble.
Later on, the 23-2 record holder pointed out, “There’s a stumble. That’s what gave him [referee] like ‘oh f**k, I gotta stop this’.”
However, before that stumble, Adesanya was leading the fight on the judges’ scorecard and had gone 3-1 in the first four rounds. Another round of staying on his feet would have granted the Auckland resident his long-awaited redemption, but it turned out to be a replay of their previous fight.
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Notably, this was the third time both fighters clashed inside the ring. The fate remained the same at all the outings- the Brazilian fighter prevailed over ‘The Last Stylebender’.
What lies ahead for Adesanya?
The 33-year-old fight might face ‘Poatan’ for the fourth time inside the ring in the near future. While the self-claimed otaku has faced almost every ranked fighter in the division, Adesanya might have to start afresh.
Similarly, the fans are eager to witness how the new middleweight champion would fare against the other challengers.
What do you think of this statement by Israel Adesanya? Let us know in the comments below.
