UFC 287: Israel Adesanya Naps Alex Pereira, Masvidal’s Farewell

Israel Adesanya reclaimed his UFC middleweight title, knocking out Alex Pereira in the main event of the UFC 287. The Kiwi beat the Brazilian for the first time after four tries, but this one had the most significance. In the co-main event, Gilbert Burns was better than Jorge Masvidal, with the Gamebred announcing his retirement following the battle, ending one fantastic journey.

Adesanya knocked out Pereira at 4:21 of the second round, sending Poatan to the floor after a short counter left, then a huge right hook and another right hook that ended on Pereira’s sidehead. The Brazilian was left lying on the mat while the Last Stylebender mimicked his arching moves and later on went to tease Pereira’s son. A few years ago, young Pereira mocked Adesanya’s KO loss against his father, and Izzy never forgot that.

“The hunter became the hunted,” Adesanya said.

LE RALENTI DES TÉNÈBRES 🏴‍☠️

QUEL KO D’ISRAËL ADESANYA VRAIMENT. TERRIBLE POUR PEREIRA 🥵 #UFC287 https://t.co/fzqC1z3z6C

— CULTURE MMA (@CultureMMA_) April 9, 2023

After the last meeting and Pereira’s KO win, many began doubting Adesanya. There were questions about whether he could overcome Poatan, who was 3-0 against him at that moment, with two KO victories. Though, Adesanya is one of the best MMA competitors ever, and his ability to improve and learn from past mistakes is remarkable. He was much more patient in this event, but also, successfully figured out how Poatan attacks and the knockout came from a counter.

“I hope every one of you behind the screen, in this arena, can feel this level of happiness just one time in your life,” Adesanya said in his postfight interview. “I hope all of you can feel how f—ing happy I am right now.”

Dana White stated after the fight that he expects to see Izzy moving up to 205 in his next fight, but the Kiwi didn’t confirm anything.

In the co-main event, we saw Gilbert Burns beating Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision, inflicting the fourth consecutive but last-ever MMA defeat to Gamebread. Masvidal announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 38, ending a roller coasting run.

“Sometimes your favorite basketball player don’t have that 3-pointer no more,” Masvidal told Joe Rogan after the fight. “Your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. I don’t feel the same when I get in here no more.”

His flying-knee KO against Ben Askren is and will be one of the best highlight moves in the history of the UFC. But apart from that, Masvidal’s story, with him coming from backyard battles, and rising through the ranks before becoming one of the biggest stars, is something that gave inspiration to many people around the globe.

“I don’t feel the same when I get in here anymore, it’s been 20 long years.”

Jorge Masvidal calls it a career in his hometown. #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/G1i2v5SJo4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 9, 2023

As for Burns, this is his second win following the loss to Khamzat, and the Brazilian is back in title talks once again. He could be Leon Edwards’ next rival, with the battle being targeted for the summer.

In other fights, we saw Raul Rosas Jr. losing his first MMA bout. Christian Rodriguez was better than Rosas Jr., winning via unanimous decision. Rosas was outplayed in pretty much every aspect of the fight, and his two strikes, compared to 83 coming from the other side, are looking a bit ridiculous.

Kevin Holland KOd Santiago Ponzinibbio at 3:16 of the third round, while Rob Font did the same to Adrian Yanez, only much earlier, at 2:57 of the first round. Kelvin Gastelum posted a unanimous decision triumph over Chris Kurtis in an interesting battle, which served as the final preliminary fight.