Adesanya Gets His Pound of Flesh, Knocks Out Pereira

The Laststylebender, Israel Adesanya, got his pound of flesh at the UFC 287 early Sunday morning GMT as he knocked out arch-rival and three-time nemesis, Alex Pereira, to reclaim his middleweight title belt.

Adesanya's victory is coming after the Brazilian gave him a hiding three consecutive times, twice as kickboxer, the last in the MMA at the Octagon.

Victory for Adesanya came midway into the second round via a stunning uppercut that caught the Brazil napping in the fight watched by embattled former US President, Donald Trump, who sat beside former World Boxing heavyweight champion, Iron Mike Tyson. 

The early round was dominated by jabs and calf-kicks, with Pereira having the upper hand.

The first also saw both fighters attempting to find their rhythms. However, the real fight began with Pereira seeming to take the fight to his challenger.

While at it, he landed a flurry of telling shots including a particularly heavy knee kick to Adesanya's body which had the Newzealander's back against the cage. It was a move that had the fans thinking another defeat reminiscent of the last fight. 

But Adesanya, who said afterwards that he deliberately acted the Possum, recovered, evaded Pereira's incoming shot and countered with a brutal right-hand stunner that sent the Brazilian stumbling. 

Smelling blood, Adesanya went for the kill, quickly adding another stunning right that sent Pereira flat on the canvas.

Pereira's fall elicited a flurry of hammer fists from the Nigerian-born Newzealander forcing the referee to quickly step in to ensure that no permanent damage was done.