How many times did Alex Pereira beat Israel Adesanya?

Alex Pereira has two wins in kickboxing over UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The pair met twice in Glory of Heroes, a Chinese kickboxing promotion, in 2016 and 2017. In their first fight, Pereira edged out a decision victory over Adesanya in what was a close bout.

When they met for a second time, Pereira knocked Adesanya out with a left hook in the third round. The moment served as the determining factor to pit them against each other in their first MMA clash at UFC 281.

Watch Pereira knock out Adesanya below:

Alex Pereira is the only man to have knocked Israel Adesanya out in his entire fighting career. He is a two-division GLORY kickboxing champion with 21 knockouts in his 33-7 kickboxing career.

'Poatan' is 3-0 in the UFC and holds an overall MMA record of 6-1.

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Alex Pereira's history of alcoholism and finding redemption through fighting

Alex Pereira had a difficult childhood, growing up in the favelas of Sao Paulo, Brazil. At the age of 12, he dropped out of school to find work at a tire shop. Due to the influence of his colleagues, Pereira took to drinking Cachaca, a popular alcoholic beverage in Brazil. He was an alcoholic by the time he found kickboxing in 2009 at the age of 21.

Pereira's struggles with alcoholism continued into the early years of his kickboxing career. He struggled to kick the habit even three years into his kickboxing career when he was the national kickboxing champion. However, he finally (and successfully) made the resolve to quit in 2012 and completely focus on his fighting career.

Pereira on his past problems with alcohol:

Pereira found immense success in his kickboxing career, becoming a Panamerican champion, a WGP champion, and an eight-time, two-division GLORY kickboxing champion.

He made the transition to MMA in 2015, losing his first bout via submission in the third round. Since his loss, however, Pereira has gone on a six-fight win streak with five career knockouts. The Brazilian fighter has three first-round finishes in his career. He last fought Sean Strickland at UFC 276 where he knocked the American fighter out in the first round.

Alex Pereira is set to take on Israel Adesanya in a highly anticipated championship bout for the middleweight title on November 12 at UFC 281 in Madison Square Garden, New York.