Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira - UFC 281 LIVE: Stream, latest updates and results tonight
The Independent✕ Close UFC women's strawweight Zhang Weili lifts heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou Israel Adesanya’s three-year reign as UFC middleweight champion came to an end on Saturday night, as he was stopped by old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in the final round. Pereira entered New York City, Madison Square Garden, and the main event of UFC 281 with two wins over Adesanya from the pair’s kickboxing days, including a knockout victory five years ago. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in as Adesanya failed to mount sufficient defence against the onslaught, and Pereira was declared the new champion as his old rival’s three-year reign came to an end. In the co-main event, Zhang Weili regained the women’s strawweight belt by submitting Carla Esparza, after Dustin Poirier submitted Michael Chandler, and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar retired with a brutal KO loss.