Israel Adesanya won his rematch with Alex Pereira at UFC 287. After the knockout, it’s his celebration that will go down in history.
Israel Adesanya said it, he did it. “The Last Stylebender” is the new UFC middleweight champion. The Nigerian completely shut out Alex Pereira who couldn’t do anything against Izzy’s devastating punches. Even if the finish is incredible, the celebration is even more so. Adesanya gave free rein to his joy and delivered the most iconic celebration in UFC history.
Israel Adesanya imitate Alex Pereira
What a joy it must have been to finally be able to beat his pet peeve, the one who in three fights had beaten Adesanya three times. Nobody missed the moment of history that Adesanya created by slamming a terrible KO to his “Boogeyman”. Even more than that, the celebration that follows this knockout will remain in the memories of MMA fans forever, so natural and so violent is it. The pictures speak for themselves.
Watch Adesanya’s celebration below.
ISRAEL ADESANYA KNOCKS ALEX PEREIRA OUT COLD! ????
???? @Stylebender WITH THE SWEETEST VICTORY OF HIS CAREER! #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/2QnUA9JJVi
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 9, 2023
Exactly three seconds after his knockout, Izzy mimicked his evening opponent’s signature archery celebration. As if that wasn’t enough, Adesanya went a step further. The latter simulated a knockout to show that this time it was Alex Pereira who fell and not him. This victory is surely the greatest of his career. Izzy had warned, it was his story and he was going to write the last chapter of this narrative arc.
On the same night, Jorge Masvidal couldn’t beat Gilbert Burns and decided to retire from MMA for good and let the young guard take over at welterweight.
What do you think of this celebration? Is she the most beautiful in the UFC?
