UFC fans think Alex Pereira was trolling Israel Adesanya after he brutally knocked out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.
The main event of one of the most packed cards in UFC history saw Alex Pereira take on Jamahal Hill, with the Brazilian successfully defending his UFC light heavyweight title.
Pereira has one of the hardest punches in UFC, and Hill certainly felt the full force of it when he was sen to the canvas with a stunning left hook in the opening round.
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The knockout blow not only sent the crowd inside the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada wild, but left the UFC stars sitting in the fighters row in a state of shock and awe.
The likes of Tom Aspinall and Israel Adesanya were among those to show their appreciation for Pereira, although the latter might not have appreciated the Brazilian's gesture.
As he stood over Hill and celebrated his win, Pereira performed the signature move of comedian Khaby Lame, shrugging as if to say that the knockout was no big deal.
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Lame is a known acquaintance of Adesanya, with the pair filming social media content together on several occasions.
It's likely that by performing the shrug, Pereira was hitting back at Adesanya's pre-fight prediction that the Brazilian would be knocked out.
The New Zealand fighter predicted: "I'm going to go Jamahal by knockout, first two-and-a-half [rounds]."
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UFC fans picked up on the incident, and suggested that Pereira was taking a dig at his rival.
"Alex Pereira ONCE AGAIN had to one-up Israel Adesanya," one fan posted on X, while another said, "His obsession with Izzy needs to be studied."
Another fan explained: "Izzy was the one giving Jamahal pointers on how to beat Alex so he mocked him."
A fourth fan commented: "They’re natural enemies bro. They’re gonna take potshots every chance they get."
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The two men have fought on several occasions; Adesanya suffered a technical knockout loss to Pereira to lose his middleweight title back in November 2022, before avenging the defeat in 2023.
Topics: UFC, Israel Adesanya, MMA, Fan Reactions
Alex Brotherton