Fight Coverage
'They Have History' - Pre-UFC Rematches | UFC 281
With Familiar Faces Clashing In The Octagon For The First Time At UFC 281, We Take A Look At Previous UFC Fights With Some History
When Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira square off inside Madison Square Garden at UFC 281, it will actually be their third time facing one another, but their first time in a mixed martial arts contest. They fought twice under the Glory of Heroes kickboxing banner, with Pereira winning both matchups – once via decision and once via emphatic knockout. However, both fights were close. Some feel, with hindsight, the judges got the decision wrong in their initial bout, and Adesanya had Pereira rocked and in survival mode in the second round of the rematch before Pereira’s legendary left hook ended things in the third.
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When Pereira made the transition to MMA after becoming the first simultaneous double-champ under the Glory Kickboxing banner, many who knew the history between the two licked their chops. Adesanya spent the last four years cleaning out contenders in the middleweight division, even double-dipping on a couple of occasions. Pereira represents someone who has already shown Adesanya defeat in the past, so the fight is dripping with intrigue.
The most comparable bout of similar circumstances came when Valentina Shevchenko faced Joanna Jędrzejczyk for the flyweight title at UFC 231. Before they competed in the Octagon, the two competed against one another three times in Muay Thai bouts from 2006-2008, with Shevchenko winning each of the three fights.
Although kickboxing and mixed martial arts have a host of different rules between them, the general consensus is that Adesanya and Pereira will move or less have a chess match of striking in New York City. Granted, there won’t be a referee to break up clinches or count to 10 if either gets knocked down, which is one of the many intriguing wrinkles in this trilogy bout.
With that in mind, here is a rundown of other notable matchups that carried some pre-UFC history with them into the Octagon:
Frank Shamrock vs John Lober
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Lober defeated Shamrock via Technical Split Decision at SuperBrawl 3 (January 17, 1997)
UFC Result:
*Shamrock defeated Lober via TKO at UFC Brazil (October 16, 1998)
Anthony Pettis vs Benson Henderson
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Pettis defeated Henderson via Unanimous Decision at WEC 53 (December 16, 2010)
UFC Result:
*Pettis defeated Henderson via Submission at UFC 164 (August 31, 2013)
Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Faber defeated Cruz via Submission at WEC 26 (March 24, 2007)
UFC Results:
*Cruz defeated Faber via Unanimous Decision at UFC 132 (July 2, 2011)
*Cruz defeated Faber via Unanimous Decision at UFC 199 (June 4, 2016)
Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate
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Pre-UFC Result(s):
Rousey defeated Tate via Submission at Strikeforce: Tate vs Rousey (March 3, 2012)
UFC Result:
*Rousey defeated Tate via Submission at UFC 268 (December 28, 2013)
Mauricio Rua vs Antônio Rogério Nogueira
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Rua defeated Nogueira via Unanimous Decision at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 (June 26, 2005)
UFC Results:
Rua defeated Nogueira via Unanimous Decision at UFC 190 (August 1, 2015)
Rua defeated Nogueira via Split Decision at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Till (July 26, 2020)
Quinton Jackson vs Wanderlei Silva
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Silva defeated Jackson via TKO at Pride Final Conflict 2003 (November 9, 2003)
Silva defeated Jackson via KO at Pride 28 (October 31, 2004)
UFC Result:
Jackson defeated Silva via KO at UFC 92 (December 27, 2008)
Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs Heath Herrig
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Nogueira defeated Herrig via Unanimous Decision at Pride 17 (November 3, 2001)
Nogueira defeated Herrig via Submission at Pride Critical Countdown 2004 (June 20, 2004)
Everything UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira
UFC Result:
Nogueira defeated Herrig via Unanimous Ddecision at UFC 73 (July 7, 2007)
Nick Diaz vs Jeremy Jackson
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Jackson defeated Diaz via TKO at UA 4: King of the Mountain (September 28, 2002)
Diaz defeated Jackson via TKO at IFC Warriors Challenge 18 (July 19, 2003)
UFC Result:
Diaz defeated Jackson via Submission at UFC 44 (September 26, 2003)
Brian Stann vs Steve Cantwell
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Stann defeated Cantwell via TKO at WEC 26 (March 24, 2007)
Cantwell defeated Stann via TKO at WEC 35 (August 3, 2008)
UFC Result:
Stann defeated Cantwell via Unanimous Decision at UFC Fight Night: Diaz vvs Guillard (September 16, 2009)
Vitor Belfort vs Dan Henderson
Pre-UFC Result(s):
Henderson defeated Belfort via Unanimous Decision at Pride 32: The Real Deal (October 21, 2006)
UFC Results:
Belfort defeated Henderson via KO at UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs Henderson 2 (November 9, 2013)
Belfort defeated Henderson via KO at UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs Henderson 3 (November 7, 2015)
*UFC Title fight
UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira took place live from Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 12, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards, and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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