Make way for the new champ! Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya and claimed the UFC Middleweight Champion title at UFC 281. The 35-year-old Brazilian from São Bernardo do Campo stopped the reigning champion by TKO in the fifth round and earned the UFC Performance of the Night bonus of $50,000.
Adesanya vs. Pereira was contested in front of 20,845 live spectators at Madison Square Garden in New York last November.
As the latest addition to the mixed martial arts (MMA) roster, Alex Pereira (7-1) arrived at the main event at Madison Square Garden on an unbeaten streak of three victories since joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2021.
His opponent, the reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (23-2), had defended his title five consecutive times since winning it in 2019. At UFC 276 on July 22, the Nigerian retained his title against Jared Cannonier and solidified his name as one of the most prolific fighters on the circuit.
Pereira had his sights set on capturing the UFC’s 185-pound belt and had previously knocked out Adesanya in 2017 at the Glory of Heroes 7 kickboxing event in São Paulo, Brazil.
Would history repeat itself? Not so easily… When the main event began, defending champion Adesanya brought the pressure and rocked Pereira with a one-two combination at the end of Round 1. In the second round, Pereira balanced the game, causing damage with left hooks and scoring crucial points. But in Round 3, it was Adesanya who took the challenger to the ground and delivered a punishing axe kick in the final moments.
Entering the championship rounds, Adesanya again landed the more significant strikes and won Round 4 in his favor. With the judges’ scorecards likely leaning 3-1 in favor of the champion, Pereira needed a knockout in Round 5 – and quickly.
What happened next is the kind of athletic performance for which the UFC was created: Pereira came out swinging hard in the final round. Landing heavy shots, the challenger pinned Adesanya against the cage and continued with impressive uppercuts and left hooks until referee Marc Goddard intervened and stopped the fight at 2:01 minutes, with Pereira winning by TKO.
“So many years of hard work and dedication, and here I am, world champion,” Pereira said after winning the main event at UFC 281.
The spectacular comeback victory earned Pereira the UFC Performance of the Night bonus, worth $50,000. And thus, Pereira (7-1) claimed the UFC Middleweight Championship in just his fourth fight in the organization – and fourth win in the promotion.
This fight marked the third Performance of the Night bonus of Pereira’s UFC career. The Brazilian made his UFC debut in November 2021 at UFC 268 and has since built an impeccable record in the promotion. Previously, the former professional kickboxer and WGP Kickboxing Middleweight Champion also held titles in MMA as Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion of Glory.