Israel Adesanya had been practising the KO combination in training with which he later stopped Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
Adesanya stepped into the octagon looking for redemption against Pereira, and he earned his middleweight crown back in style with a brutal second-round KO. The Nigerian star left his bitter rival flat on his back after responding with a series of crisp shots while having his back on the fence, to close the show and secure his revenge.
'The Last Stylebender' had himself been beaten by stoppage in their maiden UFC meeting, and knew he needed a big statement to win the fight and earn back his champion status. And this was made clear during a recent YouTube video on his channel where he reacted to his statement win.
During the assessment of the performance, the video cut to footage of Adesanya in sparring gloves and headgear performing the exact same combination. He was taking punishment with his back to the wall before throwing a big right hand, the exact one which stunned Pereira and led to the final knockdown.
The footage cleverly cut to that exact moment in the second stanza mirroring his sparring exercise and showing the raw power in his hands. Shortly after the fight, the returning champion explained how he pulled off the highlight-reel KO insisting he baited his opponent into the shots.
“I played possum," he explained. “I told you, the hunter is now the hunted. Beating me, he made me a better fighter, a better person. In this camp, I didn’t f*** around. That last hammer fist was from the gods. “I knew my leg was hurt, so I went southpaw. I knew this was it – possum, possum, possum. I set traps, man.
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"After that rope a dope moment I saw him lying flat on the ground, frozen like Elsa. This is f*****g sweet. I’m telling you, no matter what, Alex is a great champion. They say revenge is sweet and, if you know me, I’ve got a sweet tooth. He lost the belt tonight, but he will always be a champion.
"I’m the antagonist in his story. He’s a beast coming from where he’s come from, to get to where he’s gotten now. But tonight is my night. It’s my story. History. I could have just let him slide, but nah, f*** that. He would come for the kill. The honourable thing I could do was put him out of his misery."
It is unclear what lies next for Adesanya who will likely take a break before assessing his next options. There will be a whole host of challengers now queuing up for a shot at the crown including Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa who could even meet themselves to elect the next title challenger.
