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There have been several UFC ranking updates since Israel Adesanya reclaimed the middleweight championship this past weekend from Alex Pereira. With this victory, Adesanya became the first-ever two-time UFC middleweight champion in the organization's history.
At UFC 287, Adesanya experienced a sweet taste of retribution as he defeated his longtime rival Alex Pereira, who had previously defeated him three times across two sports. In the immediate aftermath, Adesanya's excitement was evident as he fired three simulated arrows and broke the bow, bringing an end to the storied rivalry.
While Israel Adesanya's emphatic victory puts him back on top of the middleweight division, there hasn't been any change in his spot in the UFC pound-for-pound best rankings. 'The Last Stylebender' occupies the No.5 spot on the list, trailing behind Jon Jones, Alexander Volkanovski, Islam Makhachev, and Leon Edwards.
Adesanya's former opponent Kelvin Gastelum returned to winning ways with an emphatic unanimous decision victory over Chris Curtis. The back-and-forth contest was also awarded the Fight of the Night honors. Gastelum jumped four spots and occupies the No.11 position in the middleweight rankings. Curtis, meanwhile, went down one spot to No.15 on the list.
In the co-main event of UFC 287, Jorge Masvidal succumbed to his fourth straight loss and reckoned it was time to hang up his gloves. Masvidal is ranked 13th in the most recent welterweight rankings, which could be his final appearance on the list following the announcement of his retirement.
Israel Adesanya pays tribute to Nick Diaz and Paul Daley on the twelve-year anniversary of their Strikforce clash
For a long time to come, people will talk about the fight between Nick Diaz and Paul Daley at Strikforce. It was billed as a battle between two of the sport's most exciting welterweights at the time, and it lived up to the billing.
Both combatants began the bout by trading heavy strikes, with Diaz using his volume to keep Daley on the defensive. Daley, however, was no slouch, and he struck some thunderous shots of his own, causing Diaz to stumble momentarily.
As the bout progressed, it was evident that both fighters were eager to stand and trade, and the crowd rose to their feet to watch as they did so in the middle of the octagon. Despite Diaz landing more punches, Daley's power shots were still a continuous danger.
Diaz was rocked several times, but the American proved his remarkable toughness and resilience by getting back up and eventually scoring a victory by TKO with three seconds left in the first-round of the fight.
Israel Adesanya, in a past appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, called the bout one of the greatest one-round fights in MMA history.
Israel Adesanya paid a fitting tribute to the iconic war on its twelve-year anniversary and wrote:
"I love this sh*t!! [salute emoji] to the war dogs. Newbies and puppies take notes."
Check out the tweet below:
