Video – Israel Adesanya reacts to Alex Pereira’s knockout at UFC 307: ‘Now it’s CHAMA time!’
After picking former multiple-fight foe, Alex Pereira to win at UFC 307 — which saw him go against recent predictions against the Brazilian, it seemed Israel Adesanya was more than happy to watch on as the former defended his title against Khalil Rountree over the weekend.
Pereira, a former middleweight champion — who won undisputed gold against Adesanya back in 2022 with a stunning rallying knockout at Madison Square Garden, managed to defend the 205 pound title for the third time in just seven months over the course of last weekend, stopping Rountree.
Battling against the Syndicate MMA staple in a hotly-contested opening pair of rounds, late in the third frame, Sao Paulo knockout star, Alex Pereira would push the pace and pressure against Rountree, bloodying him with a well-placed jab and knee before the buzzer sounded.
And in the fourth round, Pereira would force a stoppage — entering a stunning flow on the feet with precise striking to force a knockout win at the fence with a ghastly barrage of punches and knees, with referee, Marc Goddard calling a halt to the action.
Reacting to Pereira’s knockout win over Rountree during a sitdown with comedian, Andrew Schulz, Adesanya appeared happy to see his prior nemesis continue his stunning reign at the light heavyweight limit.
Israel Adesanya heaps praise on Alex Pereira after UFC 307 knockout
If Khalil (Rountree) knocks him (Alex Pereira) out, that would be amazing — but I think Alex knocks him out,” Israel Adesanya said on his YouTube channel as the duo stared down.
“Where’s the leg kick?” Adesanya asked of Pereira. “Find the leg kick — it’s the reach, it’s the leg reach; he can’t touch it — He’s got this now, but against the fence, he can’t get cocky or get comfortable, sh*t happens. Khalil is better early on, I think he has to [knock Pereira out] otherwise, ‘Poatan’ is going to get those leg kicks going again because the way he’s throwing those leg kicks is impressive and his hands are up, his hands are up more than most fights.”
“F*ck, Khalil is tough but he’s not tough enough — toughness gets you hurt — good on him, he lasted longer than I thought he would but at least someone else got him to the fourth round, that shows how good Khalil is,” Adesanya explained.
