Pereira scored a come-from-behind victory against Adesanya at UFC 281 on Saturday night to become the new UFC middleweight champion inside Madison Square Garden. The match will be a bitter pill for Adesanya to swallow. Similar to their two kickboxing matches, Adesanya was winning the contest until he wasn’t. Adesanya nearly added to his seven stoppages at UFC 281 in the first round with a one-two that had Pereira in all kinds of trouble. Adesanya’s devastating shot came in the final second of round 1, but he didn’t have the necessary time to capitalize. Pereira’s corner was panicking in their attempt to bring their fighter’s head straight. Pereira bounced back well in Round 2. It was a competitive, if unspectacular, round that likely went in the challenger’s favor. Adesanya scored the first takedown of his 14-fight UFC career in Round 3 and decisively controlled Pereira for the rest of the round. Adesanya wore Pereira down with pressure, grounding and a beautiful ax at the end of the 3rd round. Pereira struggled noticeably in the 4th round and his performance was very limited. Adesanya was defensively sound, picking apart his opponent in a round that was all his own. Pereira’s corner begged him to find the finish in Round 5, knowing Adesanya likely had a 3-1 lead on the scorecards. The UFC broadcast confirmed after the fight that Adesanya was on all three judges’ scorecards heading into the final frame. Pereira answered the call, pounding Adesanya and rocking him with hard shots against the fence. Adesanya desperately bobbed and weaved but was eating uppercuts and other big shots until the referee intervened. Pereira thanked his teammates for the win and told UFC commentator Joe Rogan through a translator that he had worked just as hard in camp as he did in this fight. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira, Pereira’s primary training partner, later told commentators of a conversation he had with Pereira between the fourth and fifth rounds. “Should I knock him out?” Pereira asked Teixeira. “Better knock him out,” Teixeira replied. Pereira (7-1) captured the UFC middleweight championship in just his fourth UFC fight. Adesanya (23-2) has managed five title defenses as middleweight champion and has held the undisputed crown since October 2019. Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Join Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including live analysis of UFC 281 at the end of the PPV event below. Elsewhere on the card, Zhang Weili regained her crown as women’s strawweight champion with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza. Weili dominated the racing exchanges before locking in the rear naked choke. Weili, Esparza and Rose Namajunas have traded the belt with each other in the last three fights. Both Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler delivered an action-classic before Poirier secured the late submission. CBS Sports was with you all the way Saturday, bringing you all the results and highlights from UFC 281 below.
UFC 281 card and results
Def. Alex Pereira. Israel Adesanya (c) via fifth-round TKO (punches) Weili Zhang def. Carla Esparza (c) via second-round submission (back-naked choke) Dustin Poirier def. Michael Chandler via third-round submission (back naked choke) Chris Gutierrez def. Frankie Edgar by first round knockout (knee) Dan Hooker op. Claudio Puelles by second round knockout (body kick) Renato Moicano or. Brad Riddell via first round submission (back naked choke) Ryan Spahn def. Dominick Reyes by first round knockout (punch) Erin Blanchfield def. Molly McCann via first round submission (kimura) Andre Petroski or. Wellington Thurman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Matt Frevola def. Ottman Azaitar by first round knockout (punch) Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Silvana Gomez Juarez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Michael Trizano or. Choi Seung-woo via first round TKO (punches) Model Jackson or. Julio Arce by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Carlos Uhlberg op. Nicolae Negumereanu via first round TKO (punches)
