Alex Pereira entered the UFC with the goal of dethroning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Having already defeated him twice in kickboxing, the anticipation built seeing Pereira climb his way through the UFC, eventually earning his shot through a spectacular knockout of rival champ-chaser Sean “Surefoot” Strickland. Despite being down on the cards going into the last round, Pereira knocked Adesanya out.
The upset turned Alex Pereira into a hugely recognizable name within the sport. His enormous size and drastic weight cut drew speculation of a move up to 205 pounds, but he decided to stay put in order to defend his title in a rematch with Adesanya.