Israel Adesanya to Defend Middleweight Title Against Alex Pereira in UFC 281 Headliner

Nigerian-born New Zealand mixed martial artist, Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight title against former rival Alex Pereira in the headliner of UFC 281 on November 12 in New York.

Pereira holds two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing, including one by knockout. ESPN ranked Adesanya tied for third on its pound-for-pound MMA list.

At middleweight, Adesanya is No. 1 and Pereira is No. 7. Pereira, a former Glory Kickboxing two-division champion, defeated Adesanya in kickboxing once by decision in 2016 and again a year later by knockout.

Adesanya (23-1) is undefeated in his middleweight career. The Nigerian-born New Zealand resident has won three straight since falling in a light heavyweight title fight against Jan Blachowicz in March 2021.

Adesanya, 33, has five successful title defenses at middleweight, holding the undisputed title since October 2019.

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