Alex Pereira makes weight in buzzer beating fashion for UFC 281 title grudge match with Israel Adesanya
With mere minutes remaining in the official window to make weight for UFC 281 this weekend at Madison Square Garden, event headliner and undisputed middleweight title challenger, Alex Pereira successfully tipped the championship weight scales, making his title clash with champion and rival, Israel Adesanya official.
Pereira, who boasts a 6-1 professional record, will feature in a UFC title fight for the first time in his three-fight Octagon stint, having earned his clash with Adesanya off the back of a thunderous first round knockout win against Sean Strickland at UFC 276 back in July.
Holding a distinct rivalry with undisputed titleholder, Adesanya, Alex Pereira twice defeated the Nigerian-Kiwi in kickboxing competition, even landing a rallying knockout win over the City Kickboxing staple in a 2017 rematch in his native Brazil.
Sharing a tense face off after a series of verbal insults issued back-and-forth at press conferences and a staredown atop the Empire State Building.
Alex Pereira successfully makes weight for his UFC 281 main event
Leaving it late to weigh in for tomorrow’s championship grudge match, Pereira stepped on the scales with just minutes remaining in the allotted window, successfully coming in at 184.6lbs – with the promotion incorporating a digital scale at today’s official weigh-in.
For Adesanya, the defending champion was one of the first combatants to the scales – hitting weight at 185lbs even, in quite subdued fashion, however.
Akin to the majority in the mixed martial arts community, Adesanya expressed his concern with Pereira’s untimely arrival, urging the Sao Paulo phenom to make weight for their title grudge showing.
“Please make weight,” Israel Adesanya tweeted.
Searching out his sixth successful title defense at 185lbs, Adesanya headlined the above-mentioned, UFC 276 pay-per-view card back in June against perennial contender, Jared Cannonier, recording a forgettable and criticized unanimous decision.
