Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira Title Clash Set For UFC 281

One of the most anticipated title bouts in the UFC’s 185-pound division’s history is on tap for UFC 281.

During the 8/5 episode of ESPN SportsCenter, UFC Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya announced that he’d be defending his title against former kickboxing rival, Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

The title bout will be the pair’s third contest against one another as Pereira holds two victories over Adesanya, first in 2016 via decision, and most recently in 2017 by way of knockout.

Adesanya (24-1), retired from professional kickboxing following the aforementioned KO loss to Pereira and would fully pursue mixed martial arts. Adesanya signed with the UFC in 2018 and has put together quite the résumé as the 33-year-old has compiled a 14-1 record inside of the UFC octagon, including seven victories in eight championship contests with his line blemish coming when he attempted to move up to 205-pounds to become a two-weight champion, however, then-champion, Jan Blachowicz would defeat Adesanya by decision.

Pereira (6-1), immediately had fans and media alike play matchmaker when signing with the UFC in 2021 as everyone was counting down the days to the potential trilogy bout with Adesanya. The Brazilian contender didn’t waste anytime in living hype to the hype as he viciously knocked out Andreas Machailidis at UFC 268 before defeating Bruno Silva via unanimous decision just four months later before most recently defeating top-five contender Sean Strickland via highlight knockout at UFC 276.

The only other bout currently announced for UFC 281 is a top-five lightweight showdown between former interim champion, Dustin Poirier and fan-favorite, Michael Chandler.

UFC 281 is set for Saturday, November 12 and will emanate from ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’, Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

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