•
70% Win
(110-25-1)
70% Win
(110-25-1)
70% Win
(110-25-1)
NFL players Micah Parsons and A.J. Brown went bonkers after Israel Adesanya knocked out Alex Pereira to regain the UFC Middleweight Championship on Sunday.
Pereira threw several strikes before “The Last Stylebender” caught him with a right-hand punch. The Brazilian crashed into the mat, and Adesanya finished the UFC 287 main event in the second round.
The victory at Miami’s Kaseya Center improved Adesanya’s mixed martial arts record to 24-2. Meanwhile, “Poatan” dropped to 7-2. It will be Adesanya’s second reign as middleweight champion, with his first tenure coming after defeating Robert Whittaker for the unified title in UFC 243.
AJ Brown, wide receiver of the Philadelphia Eagles, reacted to the result:
“That’s what you call ‘getting it back in blood’.”
Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons reacted via a short and resounding tweet:
“Izzy!!!!”
Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson commented:
“Holy sh*t Adesanya”
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader said:
“What a freaking fight!!!!!!!!”
NFL running back Leonard Fournette cheered for Israel Adesanya:
“LFG ISREAL”
The Athletic’s beat writer for the Cowboys, Bob Sturm, also joined in the fun by posting:
“THAT. WAS. AWESOME”
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN football analyst Robert Griffin III commented on Israel Adesanya's win:
“ADESANYA KNOCKED HIM OUT COLD”
UFC’s next major event, UFC 288, will occur at the New Jersey’s Prudential Center on May 7. UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling will defend the crown against Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo.
Adesanya and Pereira first met at the Glory of Heroes 1 kickboxing event in Shenzen, China six years ago.
“Poatan” won that contest via unanimous decision. A year later, they fought again at Glory of Heroes 7 in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Pereira made good use of his home advantage by knocking out Adensanya in the second round via a left hook. Pereira earned three consecutive victories over the competitor from New Zealand via a TKO victory in UFC 281. However, “Poatan” lost the title to Adesanya in his first defense.
Several personalities are set to cash in from their bets for an Adesanya victory even if he was the challenger. Hip-hop artist Drake placed a $900,000 wager for an Adesanya win. Six-time Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall also wagered $100,000 for “The Last Stylebender.”
Marshall attended the UFC 287 festivities and met Adesanya during the ceremonial weigh-ins. It was at that meet-up when Adesanya convinced Marshall to place a bet on him.
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