The highly-anticipated UFC 281 pay-per-view event recently took place this past Saturday, November 12, 2022, containing a handful of memorable moments and legendary endings. Held at Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City, New York, the main event, rightfully so, seemed to be the most standout match of the night: Brazilian fighter Alex Pereira transparently created the most substantial ending for himself, after defeating Nigeria-born athlete Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Both athletes left it all in the ring this past Saturday night during their brutal back-and-forth brawl. Initially set to last a total of five rounds of five minutes, these two warriors took it to the limit by only leaving three minutes to spare in the final round of the fight. Adesanya and Pereira exchanged a surplus of hard-hitting shots before Pereira finally took advantage enough for the referee to decide to conclude the match. The 35-year-old fighter quickly took advantage of a small window and officially defeated his opponent by TKO, shocking the world and acquiring a new well-earned position at the top of the UFC middleweight division.
With this specific win, Pereira officially boosts his professional UFC career record to 7-1-0, while simultaneously demolishing his opponent’s lengthy three-year championship reign; Adesanya obtained his former championship back in 2019 (3 years), halting just one title defense short of reaching the legendary Anderson Silva’s division record of thirteen. “I put it all out on the line and this is what happened,” Adesanya publicly stated during his short post-fight interview. “I am still in upbeat spirits and grateful… Dare to be great, and I am.”