Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya has lost his middleweight title to Alex Pereira in the main event of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 281 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Adesanya had been winning the fight until the final sequence, with Pereira firing a barrage of punches with Adesanya hurt against the cage.
The 33-year-old Nigerian was seeking revenge after losing two fights to the Brazilian in kickboxing back in 2016 and 2017.
Referee Marc Goddard stepped in to stop it after a flurry of left hooks and right hands.
Adesanya was up 39-37 on all three judges’ scorecards heading into the fifth round.
Pereira becomes middleweight champion in only his eighth professional MMA bout.
Five minutes to greatness 🏆 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/oh0ppu7Q2L
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
