Israel Adesanya admits he required medical treatment after KO loss to Alex Pereira: ‘I had some intervention’
Former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has revealed he required medical treatment and intervention following his stunning TKO loss Alex Pereira last November at UFC 281, detailing how he was also dealing with a pre-existing injury ahead of the matchup.
Adesanya, the current #1 ranked middleweight contender, is slated to rematch Pereira in an immediate championship re-run next month in Miami, Florida atop a UFC 287 pay-per-view card, attempting to reclaim his crown at 185lbs.
Headlining UFC 281 in the penultimate flagship event for the promotion last year, Adesanya suffered a late fifth round TKO loss in a rallying performance from Sau Paulo striker, Pereira – who managed to cinch undisputed UFC gold inside just four Octagon walks.
The loss came as Adesanya’s first at the middleweight limit in professional mixed martial arts, however, it followed decision and knockout losses to former GLORY Kickboxing champion, Pereira during their respective tenures in the squared circle.
Revealing he required some medical intervention following his TKO loss to Pereira back in November, Adesanya also praised the Brazilian for implementing calf kicks throughout their Madison Square Garden main event.
Israel Adesanya praises Alex Pereira’s gameplan ahead of UFC 287
“I had some medical intervention [following UFC 281],” Israel Adesanya explained during an interview with Combat TV. “Not just the fight itself, but I had a pre-existing thing that I had to sort out before the fight. Everyone goes into a fight with something, there’s always something, [because of] the way we train.”
“The fight was going my way,” Israel Adesanya said. “He (Alex Pereira) hit my peroneal nerve so that’s why my footwork was compromised. ‘Cause I was wondering even when I tripped and did the backwards roll, I had to do a roly-poly, ‘cause I was like, ‘Sh*t.’ I just tripped over and it’s not like me. So, kudos to hi for investing in those calf kicks. Yeah, it cost me.”
Prior to his title loss to Pereira, Adesanya had racked up successful middleweight title defenses against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier.
