UFC 281 - Adesanya vs Pereira LIVE: Stream, latest updates and results tonight
Re-live round-by-round updates from the UFC 281 main event plus Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler and Weili Zhang vs Carla Esparza
Israel Adesanya’s three-year reign as UFC middleweight champion came to an end on Saturday night, as he was stopped by old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in the final round.
Pereira entered New York City, Madison Square Garden, and the main event of UFC 281 with two wins over Adesanya from the pair’s kickboxing days, including a knockout victory five years ago. Adesanya, however, carried much greater mixed martial arts experience into the bout, with 23 wins and just one defeat as a professional, compared to the 6-1 record that his challenger had compiled. And Adesanya’s experience looked set to pay off, the Nigerian-born New Zealander outstriking “Poatan” in Round 1 and outgrappling the fatiguing Brazilian in the third and fourth frames.
However, a re-energised Pereira, 35, went in pursuit of a finish in the final round, eventually rocking Adesanya, 33, with a flurry of punches against the fence. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in as Adesanya failed to mount sufficient defence against the onslaught, and Pereira was declared the new champion as his old rival’s three-year reign came to an end. In the co-main event, Zhang Weili regained the women’s strawweight belt by submitting Carla Esparza, after Dustin Poirier submitted Michael Chandler, and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar retired with a brutal KO loss.
Re-live round-by-round updates from the UFC 281 main card and prelims, below.
UFC 281 LIVE
Check out our main-event preview as the prelims edge nearer... Just 10 minutes away now!
Israel Adesanya out to avoid haunting from old ghost Alex Pereira at UFC 281
The UFC middleweight champion has been faultless in the division, but his challenger this weekend is a familiar face with a successful history against Adesanya
UFC 281 LIVE
And here’s Adesanya on tonight’s main event...
‘I know something you don’t’: Israel Adesanya coy on Alex Pereira fight
Pereira beat Adesanya twice in kickboxing bouts and challenges the UFC middleweight champion in New York this weekend
UFC 281 LIVE
Here’s Israel Adesanya reflecting on his last performance...
Israel Adesanya ‘cried backstage’ after disappointing himself in recent UFC win
Adesanya retained the middleweight title with a clinical but criticised decision win against Jared Cannonier last time out
UFC 281 LIVE
Our coverage will begin with the prelims at 1am GMT!
More timings here:
What time does UFC 281 start in UK and US tonight?
UFC 281 time: When does Adesanya vs Pereira start in UK and US?
UFC 281 LIVE
Here’s tonight’s card in full:
Main card
Israel Adesanya (C) vs Alex Pereira (middleweight title)
Carla Esparza (C) vs Weili Zhang (women’s strawweight title)
Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler (lightweight)
Frankie Edgar vs Chris Gutierrez (bantamweight)
Dan Hooker vs Claudio Puelles (lightweight)
Prelims
Brad Riddell vs Renato Moicano (lightweight)
Erin Blanchfield vs Molly McCann (women’s flyweight)
Dominick Reyes vs Ryan Spann (light heavyweight)
Andre Petroski vs Wellington Turman (middleweight)
Early prelims
Matt Frevola vs Ottman Azaitar (lightweight)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Silvan Gomez Juarez (women’s strawweight)
Michael Trizano vs Seung Woo Choi (featherweight)
Julio Arce vs Montel Jackson (bantamweight)
Carlos Ulberg vs Nicolae Negumereanu (light heavyweight)
UFC 281 card as Israel Adesanya tops bill after Poirier vs Chandler clash tonight
UFC 281 card: Adesanya vs Pereira tops bill after Poirier vs Chandler clash
UFC 281 LIVE
Big news... The UFC has confirmed that featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will challenge lightweight title holder Islam Makhachev for the 155lbs belt in Perth in February!
UFC 281 LIVE
Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight title against Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 main event at Madison Square Garden tonight, as the champion looks to avenge two kickboxing defeats to his challenger.
Adesanya is unbeaten at middleweight in mixed martial arts, his sole professional loss having come while challenging for light heavyweight gold last year. But the Nigerian-born New Zealander’s kickboxing career involved a few losses, with Brazilian Pereira having outpointed Adesanya in 2016 and knocked out the “Last Stylebender” in 2017. Pereira, 35, is 6-1 in MMA, having won five of those bouts via knockout while being fast-tracked to a title shot in New York City tonight.
In the co-main event, Carla Esparza begins her second reign as women’s strawweight champion with a title defence against Zhang Weili, who held the belt between 2019 and 2021. In her last outing, the Chinese fighter knocked out icon Joanna Jedrzejczyk with a spinning back elbow, while Esparza outpointed Zhang’s recent rival Rose Namajunas to claim the gold. In the night’s other featured bout, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler meet in a huge lightweight clash.
Furthermore, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar fights one last time before retiring, and fan favourite Dan Hooker is in action.
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