Israel Adesanya's leg was damaged from Alex Pereira's kicks just moments before he was knocked out in their UFC title fight.
Adesanya, 33, was looking to make the sixth defence of his middleweight title at UFC 281 against old kickboxing rival Pereira, but he came up short and was knocked out in the fifth round. 'The Last Stylebender' said his peroneal nerve was affected by the Brazilian's leg kicks that added up throughout the fight and he felt his leg shutting down.
"He got calf kicks early on and invested well," Adesanya said. "He hit my peroneal nerve. So that’s why my footwork was compromised. Even when I tripped and went backwards, I had to do the rolie polie. I just tripped over, it’s not like me. Kudos to him for investing in those calf kicks, because it cost me."
