Israel Adesanya’s fatherly advice to Alex Pereira’s son after UFC 287 leads to meme storm on Twitter

Israel Adesanya had one of the greatest performances in middleweight history at UFC 287, when he knocked out his combat sports rival Alex Pereira in the second round.

Following the victory, 'The Last Stylebender' mocked 'Poatan' by doing an impression of Pereira falling flat while being knocked out. When the pair met in 2017 for their kickboxing rematch, Pereira knocked Adesanya out cold with a left hook. Following the bout, the Brazilian's son mocked the Kiwi fighter by doing an impression of him falling flat after being KO'd.

Six years later, Adesanya had the ultimate comeback with the following tweet directed at Pereira's son:

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"Always respect your elders."

Israel Adesanya

@stylebender

Always respect your elders. twitter.com/barnburna/stat…

Zoofuh🔥

@Zoofuh

to everyone crying about izzy mocking pereira's son with his celebration...kid knew what he was doing lmao what goes around comes around🤷‍♂️ #UFC287

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6431

to everyone crying about izzy mocking pereira's son with his celebration...kid knew what he was doing lmao what goes around comes around🤷‍♂️ #UFC287 https://t.co/8H3P3tYJ85

Always respect your elders. twitter.com/barnburna/stat…

Adesanya reposted a video of 'Poatan' and his sons recalling the 2017 kickboxing bout in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Israel Adesanya's tweet led to a Twitter meme-storm, with mixed reactions.

A user with the handle 'Vstylez' posted the following:

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"The kid knew exactly what he was doing. Maybe if his father would [have] checked him in that moment when Izzy was on the other end, then Saturday's moment would not [have happened]. That was 2017 [and] it’s now 2023 - he learned something on Saturday."

IG: @Vstylez

@Vstylez

@stylebender Nah the kid knew exactly what he was doing maybe if his Father would of checked him in that moment when Izzy was on the other end then Saturdays moment would not of happen.. That was 2017 it’s now 2023 he learned something on Saturday @upstateAP

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@stylebender Nah the kid knew exactly what he was doing maybe if his Father would of checked him in that moment when Izzy was on the other end then Saturdays moment would not of happen.. That was 2017 it’s now 2023 he learned something on Saturday @upstateAP

Another user with the handle 'kelvinekerete' posted a sarcastic comment directed at Adesanya, pointing out the champ's 'pettiness' given that he'd held on to that moment for six years.

Oh' Kelvin

@kelvinekerete

@stylebender I love your pettiness.

447

@stylebender I love your pettiness.

Here are other reactions to Adesanya's post:

Out Of Context MMA

@oocmma

@stylebender Nobody:

Israel Adesanya:

2431

156

@stylebender Nobody:

Israel Adesanya: https://t.co/CSXgnt0LHJ

MF DOOM 🦅

@lordypatricius

@stylebender

48

11

@stylebender https://t.co/IG7km4bl1u

Comunista 🧧🛠️⚒️

@meigotweet

@stylebender

492

89

@stylebender 😂 https://t.co/0SCOD8NJ6v

Aussie Rules MMA 🇦🇺

@MixedMartialAus

@stylebender Life teaches you that lesson one way or another..

216

15

@stylebender Life teaches you that lesson one way or another.. https://t.co/O8JF88bhaq

Jigsaw

@AKMuni_

@stylebender

2039

81

@stylebender https://t.co/y703NFOsFZ

Gunnyhighway🇦🇺

@Gunnyhighway10

@stylebender

11

@stylebender https://t.co/BF0VypDalR

Anjel💥

@anjelcph

@stylebender @nkxnnia Gotta start learning early when it comes to the concept of ‘fuck around and find out’ 🤣

32

1

@stylebender @nkxnnia Gotta start learning early when it comes to the concept of ‘fuck around and find out’ 🤣 https://t.co/WTrYc1HCLI

👑ORANGUTAN STAN👑

@OrangutanStan1

@stylebender Izzy on that Kill Bill energy

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@stylebender Izzy on that Kill Bill energy https://t.co/9bcEg1JTeZ

Gene-O

@Geneo411

@stylebender In the words of the poet Lil Jon:

158

1

@stylebender In the words of the poet Lil Jon: https://t.co/PtShF1UGgh

iam_favourrr

@TvVib3s

@stylebender Izzy said this

10

1

@stylebender Izzy said this https://t.co/KX3MD4rtJY

#FireMattCanada

@pghfourteen

@stylebender Me reading all the salty replies

81

1

@stylebender Me reading all the salty replies https://t.co/NBZEJhBduD

PΛЯIIΛ💭

@ThePariia

@stylebender Adesanya to Pereira

455

4

@stylebender Adesanya to Pereira https://t.co/bcYDHxr8HQ

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Israel Adesanya's masterful performance against Alex Pereira at UFC 287

UFC 287 was a lot of things - largely great. From the striking slugfest between Adrian Yanez and Rob Font, resulting in a first-round KO for the latter, to Kevin Holland's memorable victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio - the event delivered on most fronts.

The main event saw the MMA rematch between champion Adesanya and his archrival Alex Pereira. What made this fight great was Adesanya's redemption arc through four combat sports bouts, which had seen 'The Last Stylebender' lose the first three.

UFC

@ufc

Hard to imagine a better feeling #UFC287

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4455

Hard to imagine a better feeling 🙌 #UFC287 https://t.co/Ops6sTX9gA

In the MMA rematch, Adesanya pushed forward and put 'Poatan' on the backfoot. While the first round was extremely competitive, it seemed like Israel Adesanya was baiting Alex Pereira into a false sense of security in the second.

In round two, 'Poatan' found himself throwing a barrage of strikes and pushing for a finishing sequence.

Bloody Elbow

@BloodyElbow

Slow motion shot of the Israel Adesanya's KO over Alex Pereira at UFC 287

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Slow motion shot of the Israel Adesanya's KO over Alex Pereira at UFC 287 https://t.co/j6n4aGVmKr

However, Israel Adesanya threw a one-two combination, followed by a right hook on Alex Pereira's blindside and a short left uppercut that grazed 'Poatan' - a combination that floored the Brazilian fighter. Adesanyawasted no time in delivering a hammerfist before Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight.

What followed was Adesanya shooting imaginary arrows at the fallen 'Poatan', followed by the infamous 'falling flat via KO' gesture to mock the Brazilian fighter.

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