UFC News & FeaturesIsrael Adesanya Gets Revenge, Violently Knocks Out Alex Pereira in UFC 287 Headliner
It took seven years, but Israel Adesanya finally has his first win over Alex Pereira.
And oh, what a win it was.
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“They say revenge is sweet, and if you know me, I’ve got a sweet tooth,” Adesanya said.
After a measured opening round for both men, the action picked up
considerably in the second stanza. Emboldened by his success
landing calf kicks, Pereira (7-2, 4-1 UFC) stalked Adesanya after
buckling his foe’s legs near the fence. As Adesanya shelled up
against the cage, Pereira became careless, unloading with punches
in close quarters, perhaps confident that a finish was imminent. As
it turned out, the end was very near — just not in the way “Poatan”
might have envisioned it. Adesanya responded to the barrage with a
missile of a right hand that put Pereira on his heels before
landing another powerful right that put the proverbial nail in the
coffin. Not leaving anything to chance, Adesanya dove in with one
final hammerfist on his unconscious foe.
Related » UFC 287 Round-by-Round Scoring
“I don’t know what I hit him with, but I played possum a bit,” Adesanya said. “That last hammerfist was from the gods.”
Pereira still holds a 3-1 lead against Adesanya in a combat sports series that dates back to their first kickboxing bout in 2016, but the Nigerian-born Kiwi undoubtedly put his own definitive stamp on the rivalry at UFC 287.
“No matter what, Alex is a great champion. He lost the belt tonight, but he will always be a champion,” Adesanya said. In his story, I’m the antagonist. In his story, I’m the bad guy. But tonight, it’s my story. History.”
Burns Retires Masvidal
Gilbert Burns ruined Jorge Masvidal’s hometown moment.
The Brazilian blended heavy-handed striking with takedowns to capture a unanimous decision triumph against “Gamebred” in the UFC 287 co-main event. All three judges scored the welterweight contest in favor of “Durinho:” 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Masvidal, who has lost four straight UFC appearances dating back to July 2020, announced his retirement in the Octagon following the defeat.
Related » UFC 287 Prelims:
Though the Miami throng was firmly behind Masvidal (35-17, 12-10 UFC), the two-time title challenger struggled to get any momentum going. Burns got the better of the standup, rocking Masvidal with right hands on multiple occasions. Though “Gamebred” wore it well and waved Burns forward upon absorbing the blows, he too often came up short during exchanges on the feet — an area where he was expected to have an edge. Burns supplemented his advantage by securing takedowns in every frame. The Kill Cliff FC standout has won three of four fights since falling to Kamaru Usman in a welterweight title bout at UFC 258.
Font Stops Yanez in Firefight
Rob Font halted Adrian Yanez’s ascent in emphatic fashion, winning via first-round technical knockout in a bantamweight affair. The 35-year-old Boston native dropped his foe with a shovel hook to the chin and sealed his victory with punches and hammerfists on the canvas at the 2:57 mark of the period. Yanez (16-4, 5-1 UFC) sees a nine-bout professional winning streak snapped in defeat.
Font (20-6, 10-5 UFC) had his trademark jab working from the outset of the fight, but Yanez was plenty game, as he connected with multiple right hands that marked up his opponent’s face. Font appeared to turn the tide for good when he rattled Yanez with an uppercut in close quarters, and he poured it on from there, battering his reeling adversary with an onslaught of punches. Shortly thereafter, Font connected with what turned out to be the fight-ending blow.
It was Yanez’s first defeat since Nov. 30, 2018.
Holland Wallops Ponzinibbio
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Kevin Holland snapped a two-fight skid with a knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio in a welterweight showdown. “The Trailblazer” finished his Argentinean opponent 3:16 into Round 3. Ponzinibbio (29-7, 11-6 UFC) has dropped three of his last four Octagon appearances.
Holland relied on his length and reach in a tactical approach for much of the contest, but he also authored the fight’s most significant moments. In Round 1, Ponzinibbio caught a kick from his opponent but Holland responded by dropping him to a knee by landing a backfist while standing on one leg. The end came in the final frame, when Holland countered a kick with a powerful right hand and then struck the decisive blow with a left hook to the chin. Ponzinibbio collapsed face first to the canvas, and Holland landed just one follow-up blow before Dan Miragliotta stepped in to wave off the bout. Though Ponzinibbio was effective attacking with calf kicks throughout the fight, it wasn’t enough to counteract Holland’s most damaging attacks.
Rodriguez Wears Down Rosas Jr.
Christian Rodriguez weathered a first-round storm from Raul Rosas Jr. and pulled away for a unanimous decision triumph in a bantamweight scrap. The Roufusport product garnered a trio of 29-28 scorecards from the cageside judges for his second consecutive UFC triumph. Rodriguez missed weight by one pound on Friday.
Rosas Jr. (7-1, 1-1 UFC), who had received a significant promotional push by virtue of being the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, set a pace that he couldn’t match in the opening five minutes. “El Nino Problema” was relentless in his pursuit of the takedown, and he gave his opponent no breathing room as he jumped on Rodriguez’s back and aggressively hunted for the rear-naked choke.
Rodriguez (9-1, 2-1 UFC) kept his composure, made it to the end of the round and took over down the stretch. He gradually enjoyed more success defending Rosas Jr.’s takedowns, and when he was grounded, deftly reversed into top position. The final stanza was Rodriguez’s best, as he stuffed a Rosas Jr. shot, transitioned to his foe’s back and spent the majority of the round in control. By the end of the fight, Rosas Jr. had nothing left in the tank.
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