Israel Adesanya reveals he pulled back the punch that rocked Alex Pereira at the end of the first round at UFC 281
Israel Adesanya has claimed that he pulled back one of the two punches that rocked Alex Pereira at the end of round one of their recent fight.
Their UFC middleweight title matchup, which transpired at UFC 281 on November 12, saw Adesanya stun Pereira with a thunderous right hand and a left hook at the end of the first round.
IZZY ROCKS PEREIRA IN THE FIRST ROUND! 🤯
#UFC281 https://t.co/7VzhC1nFfL
However, the buzzer went off. Resultantly, referee Marc Goddard separated both fighters. It can even be safely said that 'Poatan' was "saved by the bell."
The closely-contested fight ended with 'Poatan' ultimately stopping Adesanya via fifth-round TKO to capture the UFC middleweight title.
THIS SPORT 🤯
Adesanya v Pereira had it all and the finish...just WOW 🇧🇷
#UFC281 https://t.co/faS17Swp1I
In a video posted to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya indicated that he'd easily seen and evaded the jumping front kick Alex Pereira threw to begin the fight.
Additionally, 'The Last Stylebender' recalled pulling his punches after hurting Robert Whittaker at the end of round one of their first fight in October 2019. Adesanya stated:
"I saw that [Pereira] kick coming. I was just saying, 'Random,' but yeah, so I was calm, focused. Everything was right. Everything was on... And then, I stung him at the end."
Detailing the action at the end of round one, Adesanya said:
"And then, I was about to throw a uppercut, and I threw a hook. People said it was after the bell, but I didn't hear the bell. I was already flowing. Maybe that's why I pulled it back because I did that with Rob [Robert Whittaker] as well -- when I heard the bell, I pulled it back. So maybe, that's what, because I didn't turn the hook fully over."
Watch Adesanya discuss the topic at 9:24 in the video below:
Israel Adesanya vows to fight his nemesis Alex Pereira until he defeats him
Alex Pereira beat Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision in their first kickboxing encounter in 2016 and stopped 'Izzy' via third-round KO in their kickboxing rematch in 2017.
'Poatan' also bested Adesanya via fifth-round TKO in their MMA bout at UFC 281 earlier this month. Regardless, Adesanya recently asserted that he'd fight Pereira as many times as necessary until he beats him.
On Andrew Schulz's Flagrant podcast, Israel Adesanya alluded to the fact that he's likely to face 'Poatan' again in his next octagon appearance. 'Izzy' explained that he'll be done with their feud once he defeats his archrival:
"I will fight you until I beat you. I don't give a fu**. I'll be 60, I'll come to your favela, I'll knock on your f***king door [with] my walking stick and be like, 'Yo, you and me right now.' Like, we need to go because that's just me."
Watch Adesanya address the topic at 18:52 in the video below: