Israel Adesanya scored one of the most devastating knockout of the year thus far when he regained gold from Alex Pereira in April.
After losing three times previously to Pereira – twice in kickboxing and once in MMA – Adesanya had all the pressure on his shoulders going into April’s UFC 287 headliner in Miami. He delivered with a resounding highlight-reel finish in the second round, sending the Miami crowd into frenzy.
Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will attempt to get his second run as 185-pound champ off a strong start on Sept. 9, when he puts the belt on the line against challenger Sean Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN.
