Israel Adesanya’s knockout blow to Alex Pereira will go down as one of the most monumental in UFC history.
It was a moment full of intensity, passion, and perhaps more than anything - relief.
The Last Stylebender’s immediate reaction to defeating his rival truly proved the magnitude of the situation.
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A lot had been said about the fact that Adesanya had never defeated the Brazilian in combat sports and it had obviously been playing on his mind.
But after seeing his opponent laying motionless on the floor the Nigerian-born fighter realised he had avenged his loss and not only retained his title but finally beaten Pereira.
There was a flurry of reactions online and in the arena, a mix of shock and excitement, and for those closest to Izzy there was a wave of relief.
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Alex Volkanovski and Adesanya have been friends and training partners for many years, and have simultaneously dominated their respective divisions at the same time.
And you could tell just how much his friend’s victory meant to the featherweight champion.
Volkanovski’s reaction to the moment the middleweight champion slain his rival has gone viral online.
The 145-pound-king jumps up and screams with such passion that his face goes red before he collapses back into his couch full of relief.
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He yells: “Sleep, sleep!”
You can tell just how excited he is for his mate.
Fans online were in love with his reaction.
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One wrote: “Volk reacting to Izzy winning the belt back warms my heart.”
Another said: “Volk is the loyal friend we all need in our lives.”
A third commented: “We all need friends like this.”
A fourth added: “This s**t gets me so hyped up.”
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Volk seemed just as pumped if not more so than after his own victories.
Adesanya’s own celebration was filled with a bit of controversy after he was seen taunting Pereira’s son.
It was a savage celebration to say the least, but it turns out there was a hidden meaning behind it after all.
“I’m petty,” Adesanya said in his post-fight press conference.
“I remember. The first time he knocked me out in Brazil, his son came into the ring and then just started to lie dead next to me. I’m like, ‘You f****** little a******, I’ll whoop your ass if your dad don’t do it for you.’ I looked for his kid, I pointed at him, and I saw him and I was like, ‘Hey, hey, hey,’ just to remind him.”
Featured Image Credit: @WonderbreadMMA/Twitter.Topics: UFC, MMA, Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanoski
