Israel Adesanya and Dana White Hints at a Potential Rematch

The main event of UFC 281 was full of chaos and surprises. No one was buying Alex Pereira's win before the event, but the Brazilian did the unexpected. Alex Pereira won the UFC Middleweight Championship via TKO in the fifth round.

The record of UFC Middleweight champion Alex Pereira against the former champion Israel Adesanya is 3-0 now, where two victories came in kickboxing. Israel Adesanya was set for another successful title defense till the end of the fourth round. But Pereira returned strongly in the fifth round, pushed his opponent to the ringside, and over whelmed him with punches until the referee stopped the fight and gave him the win.

Israel Adesanya accepted his loss in the post-fight press conference, although he had protested against the decision before. He said,

"It doesn't matter. He is the new champion and congrats to him. He did it again."

Israel Adesanya was undoubtedly a great champion, and this is his first loss in the middleweight division. Adesanya accepted that he similarly lost this fight as he did their last kickboxing fight. He also hinted at a rematch in his interview. Adesanya said,

"F—king crazy end. Similar to the last time. Same story. It's crazy," Adesanya said at the post-fight press conference. "He's durable and he recovers well. Even in the fifth round, I knew he was going to come strong because he was down. Same thing as last time again. It's another great story for him, but it's not over. This is still war."

There is a strong chance that he will get the rematch. UFC President Dana White was crazy to find out the results of this fight. He also hinted at Alex Pereira's and Israel Adesanya's rematch for the UFC Middleweight title sooner than expected. Upon asking about the possibility of a rematch, White told reporters,

"(Adesanya) wanted this fight, A lot of people talk publicly and it's a whole different story behind the scenes. That guy is an absolute stud. He always wants to stay active."

"In a fight that most guys would stall, 'Give me more time. Give me this, that,' he dove right into this fight. His only loss was when he tried to move up in weight to 205. You've got to respect him as champ and what he's done. … I wouldn't rule (an immediate rematch) out." He further added.

It was surprising to see this finish because Adesanya was a dominant champion throughout his championship reign. But that does not mean Pereira did not deserve it. He lost the three rounds in the first four of the fight and had no other option than knockout, and he executed that plan. Pereira’s teammate Glover Teixeira explained his discussion with Pereira during the break of the fourth and fifth round by saying,

"'Do I have to knock him out?'" Pereira asked Teixeira. "You better knock him out," Teixeira replied.