Alex Pereira`s recent title victory at UFC 320 was met with enthusiastic approval from his most significant rivals.
Despite being 38, ‘Poatan’ continues to perform at an elite level. The former UFC Middleweight Champion spectacularly recaptured his light heavyweight title from Magomed Ankalaev during UFC 320`s main event.
Pereira wasted no time, immediately pressuring Ankalaev in the Octagon and securing a first-round TKO by rocking him early.
The T-Mobile Arena buzzed with excitement. Even Jiri Prochazka, who had faced Pereira twice, was visibly emotional, shedding tears as the Brazilian champion defeated their mutual adversary, Ankalaev.
From a lower weight division, Israel Adesanya similarly celebrated Pereira`s triumph.
Israel Adesanya`s Reaction to Alex Pereira`s Victory over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320
Adesanya noted Pereira`s serious approach at UFC 320.
Before Ankalaev`s challenge at UFC 313, Adesanya was the last fighter to defeat Pereira. Across four encounters in kickboxing and MMA, Pereira`s only loss to Adesanya was by knockout in their most recent bout.
Though Pereira hadn`t avenged that particular loss, he found redemption by defeating Ankalaev, a champion previously undefeated in 14 consecutive fights.
Adesanya shared his reaction to Pereira`s recent victory on his YouTube channel:
“Look at him behind the black line,” Adesanya remarked as Pereira pressured Ankalaev. “Oh! He got him where he wanted,” he exclaimed.
“He`s not messing around, holy s—, he`s not messing around… Look at him, look, he`s on, he`s on.”
“I know it, I see the eyes, look at the eyes. He`s going. He has to go orthodox. Bro, he`s on.”
He repeated, “He`s on,” as Pereira moved in for the ground and pound finish. “Go, go, go finish it!” Adesanya cheered, adding “Oh!!!” and “Chama” after Pereira secured the win.
A Look Back: Israel Adesanya`s Undisputed UFC Title Win Six Years Ago
On this very day in 2019, Adesanya claimed UFC gold.
Heading into UFC 243, Adesanya, then the interim middleweight champion, prepared for his undisputed title bout against Robert Whittaker.
`The Last Stylebender` unified the middleweight title by spectacularly knocking out Whittaker before a crowd of 57,000 fans at Marvel Stadium.
Notably, his greatest rival, Pereira, would not join the UFC until two years later.
