The UFC 287 tournament, which took place on the 8th, is likely to remain an unforgettable match for Israel Adesanya (33, Nigeria). This is because he was able to untangle the thread of the nightmare that had entangled him and spit out ‘Lion’s Hu’ towards the sky for a whopping 7 years.
Until last November, 메이저놀이터Adesanya was in a position to discuss ‘the strongest middleweight ever’. Some pointed out that he had more judging matches compared to his flashy fighting style, but he fought against those who denied him by catching opponents at random, such as strikers, wrestlers, and jujittero. There was a fighter who put Adesanya in trouble, none other than Alex Pereira (35, Brazil).
Adesanya’s grudge against Pereira ran deep. Before the match on the 9th, the opponent’s record was 0 wins and 3 losses. He lost twice in kickboxing, once in the UFC, and lost the middleweight title in the process of his final loss. Adesanya has reigned as the undisputed champion with 12 consecutive victories at middleweight. There seemed to be nothing more to achieve in that weight class.
However, his nemesis, who had been harassing him since his kickboxer days, did not allow him to relax. Pereira, who followed in kickboxing in November of last year, defeated Adesanya with a 5th round TKO victory and even took the belt. In combat sports, it is rare for a top fighter to lose three straight games to a specific opponent.
Moreover, Adesanya has been clearly winning in terms of content in their last three matches. However, he repeated the finish allowing a last-minute come-from-behind defeat with the explosion of Ferreira’s trademark left hook. With Ferreira’s breakthrough, Adesanya’s image as the strongest started to shake again.
Adesanya is also famous as an animation and film fanatic. He said that he dreamed of becoming a fighter after watching the movie <Ong-bak>, admired Naruto Uzumaki, the main character of the Japanese cartoon <Naruto>, and enjoyed watching <Death Note>. He imitated several scenes from the famous fighting manga <Fighter Baki> himself and posted them on social media. The main character in the cartoon goes through trials, but overcomes them and eventually rises to the top. Perhaps Adesanya was also convinced that he would.
He could never miss the second leg against Pereira. No matter how much Adesanya has achieved so far, his self-confidence crumbles when he is repeatedly attacked by a specific opponent. If they lost in the second game, the fans would turn their backs, and the organizers were likely to tinker with other box office cards. There was no law that prevented the situation from unfolding in which he had to enter the ranking battle and come up again from the bottom.
Adesanya compared her situation to the movie 8 Mile starring Eminem. At the media day before the fight, he said, “This match could be your last chance. It’s like Eminem’s ‘8 Mile’ moment. You only get one chance. It comes only once in a lifetime and you should never miss it.” It will happen,” he said, reaffirming his determination.
Even though he was beaten three times, Adesanya’s heart was not broken. He still thought he was up to par. “I know how to beat Ferreira. Every time I win, Ferreira revives and fights back with her extraordinary recovery ability. If that happens, there is no way. I will completely cut off her consciousness.”
Of course, Pereira had other ideas. He was more confident than anything else that he had won three times. “Adesanya is no longer my rival. I knocked him out. I know his fighting style, I know how he moves,” he said confidently of victory.
Adesanya and Pereira raised their fighting power against each other to the highest level ahead of the second game.
Even before the game, Adesanya seemed to have come out of the camp of multiples. Appearing at the press conference wearing a metal dog collar, he shouted, “I am a dog. This is a dog collar and I will soon untie it. I don’t care about the belt.” .
Pereira, who appeared in the traditional makeup of the indigenous Parataxo of Brazil, responded to Adesanya’s provocation by saying, “I will take off his dog leash in the Octagon and then beat him like a dog.” As a result, Adesanya succeeded in revenge at the end of the 4th period in 3 matches. Adesanya lured Ferreira in the second round by pretending to have suffered leg damage. It was a strategy that reversed the KO loss by allowing an onslaught while the staff were tied up due to a shock in the leg in the previous game.
Adesanya’s prepared fishing was a success. Pereira followed the limping Adesanya in and unleashed punches and knee kicks for the finish. Adesanya, who was aiming for that moment, was aiming for a gap in Ferreira’s blow, and the moment he caught his eye, he threw a lightning-like right hand overhand hook. Pereira, who allowed an unexpected blow, was shocked and staggered. And immediately after another overhand hook exploded, Pereira fainted and could no longer wake up.
Adesanya said, “They say revenge is sweet, but when I actually did it, it was really sweet. I hope all of you can feel this happiness.” “If you want to achieve what you want, you have to keep pursuing something. Otherwise, you will never feel this happiness.” . Have courage,” he said. He also said, “Fereira, thank you for defeating me. Thanks to you defeating me, now I am a better fighter.” told
Adesanya did not lose confidence until the end and broke the big wall in his life. And it gave hope and courage to many other fighters as well.
Looking at role models gives us hope. Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway (31, USA) is also like that. Like Adesanya, Holloway also lost three times to current champion Alexander Volkanovski (34, Australia). In a situation where he was approaching the strongest of all time beyond the current strongest, he was completely caught by another monster. Now, even the qualifications for the challenge are not easily given.
But Holloway is not losing confidence. He still believes he can beat Volkanovski. In particular, he said that he gained more strength while watching Adesanya’s game recently. He will not be the only one who has inherited his courage like Holloway. Adesanya’s victory was the message of the ‘3rd match 4th period’ that gave courage to many people who were frustrated by defeat beyond martial arts.