After his knockout loss at UFC 281, Israel Adesanya appeared to be in a positive mood at the press conference after the fight.
He hadn’t lost at 185 pounds and had never been stopped before facing Pereira. Even though he won most of the fight, he couldn’t get rid of the demons that had been bothering him in both of his kickboxing matches, and in the fifth round, he was knocked out.
In a rematch of the first fight between Adesanya and Pereira, the Brazilian had previously stopped the Nigerian-New Zealander professional mixed martial artist in the ring by way of a controversial decision. His winning streak was capped by a thunderous late stoppage after coming from behind to accomplish an incredible upset victory.
PEREIRA DOES THE UNTHINKABLE!! 😱
HE KOs ADESANYA AGAIN!! #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/YiNrtkrVFY
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
In a press conference after the fight, Adesanya expressed his feelings about his loss and how he feels about it.
“I’m grateful. What a life, what a moment, f***ing crazy, isn’t it? Similar to the last time, same story, it’s crazy. I was fine, first thing I said to the ref was ‘I’m fine’ because I was still lucid, still in there and I was fine, but s*** happens.
“I talked to my coaches and I trust them, but I was fine, I could see everything that was happening. My eyes might have rolled into the back of my head a little bit but I was lucid. I’m grateful, I’m proud, my team’s proud of me and respectfully, f*** all this s***, f*** everybody else, it’s all about my team.
“This is my third fight in ten months, every time I fight I risk losing what you guys deem as a prestigious, which it is, the belt. But it is, I put it all on the line because I’m not trying to just fight once and then chill, do my lap around and parade as a champion and not risk so much. I put it all on the line and this is what happens. Dare to be great, and I am.”
Due to his prolonged and memorable reign as champion, Adesanya is eager to get an immediate rematch. Furthermore, he has won multiple fights against top competitors in his division, including Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori.
“I know what I can do,” Adesanya said. “The fight was going my way, he hit my perineal nerve, so that’s why my footwork was compromised. Even when I tripped and did the backwards rolly-polly it was because I was like ‘s*** I just tripped over’ which is not like me. Kudos to him for investing in those calf kicks because it cost me.”
By referring to an ex-UFC referee frequently criticized by Dana White, Adesanya offered an entertaining alternative to the outcome of his fight.
“My ego would say at least let me go out on my shield, but I don’t think I would’ve gone out ’cause I was still there. I’ve seen worse stoppages, f*cking bring back Steve Mazzagatti. Bring back Steve Mazzagatti, I would’ve been fine. He might’ve won that round but I’d still be champion.”
Are there any chances that Israel Adesanya will be able to rematch Alex Pereira as soon as possible?
