Israel Adesanya suffered a devastating first defeat at middleweight, losing his belt to old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in a classic UFC 281 showdown.
The Brazilian, in only his fifth fight in the organisation, looked on course to lose a decision before he plucked victory from the jaws of defeat and delivered a late TKO. The Nigerian-born Kiwi had performed brilliantly up until the final round, when the Brazilian finally landed heavily
Adesanya fought a near-perfect fight. He had Pereira out on his feet at the end of Round 1, but the Brazilian returned the favour in Round 5 to snatch it.
Adesanya was seeking revenge after losing two fights to Pereira in kickboxing back in 2016 and 2017.
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