The title fight that headlined UFC 287 in Miami ended at 4:21 of the second round after the Nigerian went on the defensive, provoked an opponent to attack near the net, shocked the opened champion with a counter right hand, knocked him down with a second right hand , and finished off with a hammer-fist on the ground.
Having sent Pereira to a dead knockout, Adesanya paid off in full with him for three defeats, two of which took place in kickboxing and one in the UFC octagon.
In the co-main event of the event, Gilbert Burns defended the fifth line of the UFC welterweight ranking, defeating Jorge Masvidal, the favorite of the local public, by unanimous decision, who announced his retirement after the fight.
Burns said in a post-match interview that he wants to see the winner of the title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington as his next opponent.
In the third most important event of the tournament, the twelfth number of the UFC bantamweight division, Adrian Janiz, did not pass the test of an opponent from the top ten, losing in the first round to Rob Font, who occupies the sixth position in the ranking, by technical knockout.
Among other results, we note the defeat of another bantamweight prospect, 18-year-old Raul Rosas Junior, who suffered the first failure of his career, losing a unanimous decision to Christian Rodriguez after three rounds.
Kevin Holland, Joseph Pifer and Steve Garcia added early victories to their assets.
Right during the show, the heavyweight bout between Carl Williams and Chase Sherman was eliminated from the event card. The reason for the cancellation of the fight was Sherman’s health problems.
All UFC 287 results.