Bad blood turned into respect.
Israel Adesanya knocked out Alex Pereira last night (Sat. Apr. 8, 2023) at UFC 287 from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Fla, when he knocked him out cold to regain his Middleweight championship (watch highlights).
It is well documented that “Poatan” and “The Last Stylebender” had a ton of bad blood towards each other, including trash talk, trolling, and knockouts. Adesanya even mocked Pereira’s son after the fight.
After their fight, Adesanya and Pereira squashed their beef (at least for now) backstage by giving respect to each other.
“I want to learn how to throw the [low kicks]. Honestly, you’re a great champion, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. You’re always a champion, and I’ll always respect you,” Adesanya told Pereira.
Adesnaya returns to the win column and is now a two-time Middleweight champion. At the same time, Pereira suffered his first UFC loss and is probably going to go up to Light Heavyweight, according to UFC President Dana White.
For complete UFC 287 results and coverage click here.