A colossal main event caps off a star-studded UFC 281 card at, the infamous, Madison Square Garden as two middleweight behemoths battle it out for the biggest prize in the organisation and for the ultimate bragging rights.
In one corner stands the reigning, defending, undisputed UFC middleweight champion; a man known for his impeccable striking and his overwhelming ability to bend the style of any opponent staring across from him. He has dominated the middleweight division from the moment he stepped foot into the UFC accumulating a near-record breaking twelve (12) wins since his debut in 2018. After running through the division, taking on anyone in front of him -sometimes twice- Israel Adesanya is on a warpath to achieve greatness and will not let a single soul take that away from him; or so he thinks.
In the other corner stands the man, who not only thinks, but knows he can dethrone the champion. Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira is a titan of the kickboxing world, his vicious striking and his name-worthy knockout power have contributed to his feared reputation in the fighting realm. With twenty seven (27) knockouts across three different sports the skillset of the former WGP Kickboxing and Glory world champion is something any man should be fearful of let alone a man he has already outscored and sent to sleep.
After seemingly clearing the division with a victory over Jared Cannonier it seemed like there would be nobody left for the Last Style Bender, however, when Pereira entered the world of mixed martial arts and landed an internet breaking first round knockout over, the highly ranked, Sean Strickland on the same night; an old flame has rekindled between two rivals as they meet in the octagon at UFC 281.
Top comments (6)
This was a totally unexpected development for me, I was like... is he going to go around the block again and then boom! Pereira comes out of nowhere and is now in a title fight 😂
Thank you for the comment, I really appreciate it. I'm glad my writing was able to have that effect and didn't quite go round in circles and I hope it was able to add to the excitement of the fight itself (if that is even possible). Who've you got for the win?
Izzy. I think he’s been waiting and wanted this for ages.
I think he picks him apart.
You?
I think it’s such a toss up between two absolutely elite strikers. I agree that Izzy must be chomping at the bit to avenge his losses but something at the back of my head tells me that Pereira does it again.
As disregarding as that may sound to what Adesanya has built in the UFC.
I can’t believe we’ve got UFC280 and then this at UFC281 - praise the lord to the MMA gods 😂😂😂
They have well and truly blessed us, cards like these remind me why I stay up until 6am to tune in😂😂