Adesanya to defend title vs. Pereira at UFC 281

The UFC has its Madison Sq. Backyard predominant occasion.

Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight title towards outdated rival Alex Pereira within the headliner of UFC 281 on Nov. 12 in New York, Adesanya introduced Friday on SportsCenter.

Pereira owns two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing, together with one through knockout. ESPN has Adesanya ranked tied for third on its pound-for-pound MMA listing. At middleweight, Adesanya is No. 1 and Pereira is No. 7. Pereira, a former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion, beat Adesanya in kickboxing as soon as by choice in 2016 after which once more a 12 months later through knockout.

Adesanya (23-1) is undefeated in his profession at middleweight. The Nigerian-born New Zealand resident has gained three straight since falling in a lightweight heavyweight title bout to Jan Blachowicz in March 2021. Adesanya, 33, owns 5 profitable title defenses at middleweight, holding the undisputed title since October 2019.

Pereira (6-1) is coming off a first-round knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276 final month, the identical card through which Adesanya defended his title efficiently towards Jared Cannonier. The Brazilian slugger has 5 finishes in six profession professional MMA victories since coming over from kickboxing.

Pereira, 35, is 3-Zero within the UFC with a pair of $50,000 Efficiency of the Evening bonuses to his identify.