You Won’t Believe What Kamaru Usman Said About Israel Adesanya’s Knockout Of Pereira

At UFC 307 last weekend, Pereira successfully defended his title with a commanding TKO win over Khalil Rountree Jr., adding to his three world title finishes this year. This victory also highlights Pereira’s sole loss in the octagon—a second-round knockout inflicted by Adesanya last year.

During a recent episode of his podcast, ‘Pound 4 Pound,’ Usman reflected on Adesanya’s impressive second-round KO of Pereira at UFC 287, praising Adesanya for taking down such a formidable opponent. Usman remarked, “I don’t want to undermine Alex Pereira and his accomplishments, but this makes Israel Adesanya’s finish of him even more remarkable. Stopping a titan like that is truly impressive.”

The rivalry between Adesanya and Pereira has spanned seven years and crossed two disciplines. It began when Pereira defeated Adesanya twice in Glory kickboxing matches in 2016 and 2017. The feud continued in the UFC, where Pereira claimed the middleweight title in 2022, only for Adesanya to reclaim it with a spectacular knockout at UFC 287.

Despite moving up to the light-heavyweight division and capturing UFC gold, Pereira remains on Adesanya’s radar. Following Pereira’s victory at UFC 307, Adesanya expressed admiration for his former rival, stating, “He (Pereira) is that guy right now. Shout out to Khalil for his heart. Fighting with a broken nose, a messed-up eye, and the intelligence not to blow his nose during the fight, that deserves respect.”

As both fighters continue to excel in their respective weight classes, the possibility of a future rematch between Adesanya and Pereira has become an exciting prospect for UFC fans worldwide.