UFC 281 was headlined by an intriguing throwback matchup on Saturday at the world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York.
On one side, you had middleweight kingpin and top pound-for-pound talent Israel Adesanya with a 23-1 record. He was undefeated at 185 pounds with five successful title defenses, though his encounter with Yoel Romero and his rematch with Robert Whittaker could have easily gone against him. On the other side, you had Alex Pereira with a 6-1 record that included three carefully selected opponents in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.