Former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has claimed his first-ever MMA Junkie Knockout of the Year Award for his second-round KO of Alex Pereira in April 2023.
Adesanya has previously won multiple awards, including Newcomer of The Year, Fight of The Year, and Male Fighter of The Year in mixed martial arts, but despite his impressive knockouts record in UFC with over 16 KOs, he has never claimed the Knockout of The Year award until now.
The April fight against Pereira was their second in UFC and their fourth in combat sports with Pereira 3-0 up before Adesanya claimed victory and became a two-time middleweight champion, while also winning the Performance of The Night award at UFC 287.
The knockout, which came after an intense leg kick battle in the first round and a more aggressive exchange in the second, saw Adesanya land two decisive right hands. The precision and power of the shots ended the fight, cementing Adesanya’s place as the ‘Knockout of The Year’ recipient, with the victory being attributed to both technique and story.
Adesanya’s second-round knockout not only reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship but also marked his first win against Pereira in their four-fight rivalry across combat sports.
The Nigerian-born fighter became the eighth UFC fighter to become a two-time champion. He then faced Sean Strickland on 10 September 2023, at UFC 293 where he lost the bout in a major upset via unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 49–46.
