Israel Adesanya is once again the UFC middleweight champion! He finally got his revenge after knocking out Alex Pereira in the UFC 287 main event and taking back the middleweight title he lost at UFC 281. It was a special occasion for Adesanya as he finally got a victory over the man, who had beaten him on three separate occasions.
But revenge is a dish best served cold and Izzy certainly did that with a picture-perfect KO. At the end of the second round of the bout, Pereira rushed in with a flying knee to land a thumping blow. But Adesanya managed to survive the attack and land a swift counterstrike. It was pretty similar to the one Izzy landed in round 1 of their bout at UFC 281.
Hard to imagine a better feeling 🙌 #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/Ops6sTX9gA
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
However, this time, he did not hesitate to follow up on the opportunity to get a stoppage. He landed another big punch that dropped Poatan and then followed up with a hammer fist KO’ed the Brazilian stiff. Despite securing the stoppage, Adesanya did not stop there. From making fun of Pereira’s culture to mocking his son, Adesanya ran rampant inside the Octagon.
But the result poses an interesting question in front of UFC. While Alex won at UFC 281, Izzy returned the favor in the recently concluded UFC 287. It does set up a trilogy fight perfectly. On top of that, Adesanya already holds wins over many top contenders in the division. So a third UFC fight between the two seems like a guaranteed money maker. However, Adesanya does not seem interested in the bout.
Israel Adesanya shoots down a rematch against Alex Pereira after UFC 287
During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Israel Adesanya expressed how truly ecstatic he was about the win. It seemed like a massive burden was lifted off his shoulders and he wants to keep it that way. The two-time UFC middleweight champ does not seem to revisit this chapter of his fight career any longer. The Last Stylebender was pretty adamant in dismissing the chances of a trilogy.
He added, “It’s done, it’s done. I don’t keep scores, I settle them so it’s done. He’s had his story, now it’s my story. I’ve closed that chapter and again, I move on.”
With Israel not being interested and Pereira reportedly looking for a move to light heavyweight, it does look like a storied rivalry has come to an end. After the event, the two seemingly buried their hatchet as well.
What do you think is the right move? Do you agree with Adesanya or do you think UFC should revisit the rivalry? Let us know in the comments down below.