Israel Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion, won the title at UFC 287 by knocking out Alex Pereira in the second round of the main event, his fourth attempt against Pereira. It is noteworthy that Adesanya managed to win the title despite suffering a Grade 1 MCL tear during training the week before the fight. In a YouTube video, Adesanya revealed how he overcame the injury, despite being in severe pain, to earn his first victory over Pereira. Following his win, Adesanya announced his next fight would be against Dricus du Plessis, who had previously made comments about becoming the first “African champion” in the UFC, a comment which had created division. Adesanya was keen to settle the score with du Plessis on African soil, but it is not yet confirmed if the fight will take place in Africa.
