Israel Adesanya wanted a quick rematch after a November loss to Alex Pereira stripped him of the 185-pound championship belt he’d held since 2019.
after a November loss to Alex Pereira stripped him of the 185-pound championship belt he’d held since 2019.
Adesanya, born in Nigeria but raised in New Zealand, entered the UFC in 2018 and won the middleweight belt a year later when he beat then-champion Robert Whittaker in a stunning knockout. Masvidal, who turns 39 in November, entered the match on a three-fight losing streak having lost back-to-back title challenges to Kamaru Usman and a unanimous decision to longtime rival Colby Covington.“It’s been a long 20 years, 50-something fights,” said Masvidal, who entered the UFC in 2013. “Sometimes your favorite basketball player doesn’t have that three-pointer no more. Your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. And I don’t feel the same when I get in here.
“It’s been a while since I got a finish,” Font said. “I needed this finish for myself. I needed it for my team. I needed it for my family.”
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