Alex Pereira Unseats Israel Adesanya, Forces Fifth-Round Stoppage at UFC 281

Maybe Alex Pereira just has Israel Adesanya’s number.

The Teixeira MMA-trained Brazilian dismissed Adesanya with punches and laid claim to the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown in the fifth round of their UFC 281 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Adesanya (23-2, 12-2 UFC) checked out 2:01 into Round 5, his reign atop the 185-pound weight class having concluded after 1,134 days.

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It was a treacherous journey for Pereira (7-1, 4-0 UFC). Adesanya nearly finished him at the end of the first round, where he cracked the Glover Teixeira protégé with an overhand right and followed it with a crushing left hook as the horn sounded. Pereira recovered during the respite and rebounded with a strong showing in Round 2. However, he lost his way as the fight progressed, his movements becoming increasingly labored after the champion took him down and grinded on him for nearly four minutes in the third. He entered the final round likely in need of a knockout. Adesanya failed to manage distance properly, allowed the challenger to back him to the fence and paid a steep price for his miscalculation. Pereira followed a slashing right uppercut with a jarring left hook that set “The Last Stylebender” on unsteady legs. He then unleashed with power shots from both hands as Adesanya slouched forward in a defenseless posture and left his head exposed, prompting referee Marc Goddard to call for the stoppage.

Zhang Reclaims Strawweight Crown

Weili Zhang submitted Team Oyama’s Carla Esparza with a modified rear-naked choke and reclaimed the undisputed women’s strawweight championship in the second round of their co-main event. Esparza (19-7, 10-5 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 65 seconds into Round 2.

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Zhang (23-3, 7-2 UFC) overwhelmed “The Ultimate Fighter 20” winner with power and technique, on the feet and on the ground. She peppered Esparza with kicks to the body and head in the second round, then scrambled into a reverse crucifix position behind the Californian. Zhang trapped the champion’s right arm with her leg while simultaneously snaking her arms in place for the choke. Esparza did what she could to fight the submission with her free hand but ultimately gave in to the maneuver.

The loss was Esparza’s first since Sept. 8, 2018 and halted her six-fight winning streak.

Poirier Choke Finishes Chandler

American Top Team’s Dustin Poirier took care of three-time Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their scintillating lightweight showcase. Poirier (29-7, 21-6 UFC) slammed the door 2:00 into Round 3, as he emerged victorious in another “Fight of the Year” contender and bounced back from his Dec. 11 loss to Charles Oliveira.

Chandler (23-8, 2-3 UFC) had the Louisiana native reeling with powerful right hands in the first half of Round 1 and executed a belly-to-back suplex. Poirier stayed composed, returned to an upright position and let his educated hands do the rest. He flurried on Chandler late, pinned him to the fence and teed off with both hands. If Poirier had but a few more seconds with which to work, he likely would have ended it there. Chandler stepped out for the middle stanza with a disfigured face and blood pouring from his nose. Nevertheless, he struck for a takedown inside the first 30 seconds and kept Poirier bottled up on the canvas for the rest of the round. Momentum once again proved fleeting. Poirier countered a high-amplitude takedown at the start of Round 3, scrambled into top position, cracked the Kill Cliff Fight Club rep with elbow-laced ground-and-pound and advanced to the back. Soon after, the choke was in place and Chandler was done.

Poirier, 33, has recorded four victories across his past five outings.

Gutierrez Knee Stops Edgar

Factory X standout Chris Gutierrez knocked out a retiring Frankie Edgar with a brutal knee strike in the second round of their bantamweight feature. Edgar (24-11-1, 18-11-1 UFC) bowed out 2:01 into Round 1, his remarkable career coming to a close in ignominious fashion.

Gutierrez (19-4-2, 7-1-1 UFC) circle on the perimeter, unleashed a few of his patented leg kicks and waited for an opening to present itself. He fired a knee up the middle that caught Edgar clean on the chin and propelled him backward onto the canvas in a supine position. No follow-up shots were required.

The 31-year-old Gutierrez has won four fights in a row.

Hooker Kick Buries Puelles

City Kickboxing’s Dan Hooker brought down “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” Season 3 finalist Claudio Puelles with a front kick to the body in the second round of their lightweight attraction. Puelles (12-3, 5-2 UFC) entered the cage on a five-fight winning streak and packed his bags 4:06 into Round 2, suffering his first defeat since Nov. 5, 2016.

Hooker (22-12, 12-8 UFC) stayed patient in the face of an unorthodox approach from the Peruvian. Puelles turned to the Imanari roll in the first round and ran the former Australian Fighting Championship titleholder through a precarious heel hook-kneebar series. Hook cut off his bids for takedowns in Round 2 and zeroed in on the body. A perfectly placed front kick to the solar plexus doubled over Puelles and prompted referee Keith Peterson to act.

The win closed the book on a two-fight skid for Hooker.

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