UFC 287

Israel Adesanya Suffered Severe Injury Before UFC 287

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Israel Adesanya regained the UFC middleweight championship. After a late knockout to Alex Pereira in their first bout, Izzy reclaimed his title in the rematch. However, everything wasn’t perfect leading up to the big rematch. Recently, Adesanya revealed that he was dealing with a major injury before the fight. On Thursday, Adesanya revealed a video of when he tore his MCL in the middle of training. The video is a tough reminder about what these fighters go through during training.

However, Adesanya fought through the pain of his injury. As he reclaimed the middleweight throne in a convincing fashion. Adesanya’s knockout of Pereira will now live forever in the UFC knockout reel. Undoubtedly this injury will further the legacy of Adesanya. Not many people would be able to continue through such an injury. However, Adesanya wasn’t going to let this injury be an excuse, no matter the outcome. Because this is the first time we are hearing about the issue. Check out the video of the incident below.

Israel Adesanya Overcomes Scary Injury

The pain on Adesanya’s face in the video makes it hard to watch. Seeing an athlete put so much time into an event. Only to have that opportunity potentially taken away is a challenging thought. However, those thoughts run through the minds of every fighter training for their next big fight. If Adesanya would have made this injury known, he wouldn’t have been cleared to fight. So this incident could have robbed Adesanya and the fans of one of the most incredible nights in UFC history.

But the injury has happened, and Adesanya is now wearing the crown. The current middleweight champ is now looking forward to his next test in the octagon. While Pereira is looking to make the move to light heavyweight. For now, it seems that Adesanya and Pereira are going their separate ways. However, something tells me there’s money to be made in another matchup. But for now, Israel Adesanya will celebrate one of the biggest moments in his professional career. For the latest news and MMA and sports, keep it right here with HNHH.

Drake Reacts To Jorge Masvidal’s Retirement

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Drake praised Jorge Masvidal as a “street legend” and a “UFC goat” in an Instagram Story post on Sunday night. Masvidal announced his retirement after losing to Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 287. The loss came by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, and 29-28) and was Masvidal’s fourth consecutive defeat. “Hats off to a great man,” Drake added in the post.

“I love everybody here,” Masvidal said after the fight over the weekend. “This is where I started my career. It’s been a long 20 years, 50-some fights. Sometimes your favorite basketball player don’t have that 3-pointer no more. Your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. I don’t feel the same when I get in here no more. It’s been 20 long years.”

Jorge Masvidal At UFC 287

MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 08: Jorge Masvidal speaks with UFC commentator Joe Rogan as he announces his retirement after his unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns of Brazil in their welterweight bout during UFC 287 at Kaseya Center on April 08, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Masvidal retires at 38 years old having posted a 35-win and 17-loss career record. “I love this fucking sport,” Masvidal said in his postfight interview Saturday night. “I’m a multi-millionaire. I didn’t start with nothing. I can say I’m good for life now.”

UFC president Dana White also said that he understands Masvidal’s decision. “Listen, as soon as you think about retiring, you should in this business,” White said. “He’s made a lot of money. He made a lot of money tonight. He’s got things outside the octagon going on too, like Conor [McGregor] does and some of these other guys, and I think he’s proved everything he needed to prove to himself. He changed his family’s life, and why not?”

Outside of the octagon, Masvidal has been dealing with legal trouble as of late. Colby Covington accused the veteran fighter of sucker-punching him outside a South Beach steakhouse, last year. Masvidal was subsequently arrested for the incident. He pleaded not guilty but is still awaiting further court appearances. Check out Drake’s message for the now-retired fighter below.

Drake’s Post For Jorge Masvidal

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Israel Adesanya Wins UFC Middleweight Championship

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Israel Adesanya just regained the title of middleweight champion at UFC 287 in a stellar match against Alex Pereira. Moreover, reactions and assessments of the brawl ran rampant on social media, with many chiming in with their favorite moments and highlights. Even Donald Trump brushed off his indictment to pop out at the event alongside Mike Tyson, Dana White, Kid Rock, and many more. Overall, it was quite the entertaining and masterful display of mixed martial arts from one of the sport’s all-time greats. Previously, the 33-year-old remarked his desires to regain his title from Pereira, which manifested into a victory.

““Pressure makes diamonds, and I’m going to shine,” Israel Adesanya said prior to the match during a press event. Clearly, he had a lot on his shoulders on top of a chip to lose, which hilariously manifested after he knocked Pereira out. Not only did he pretend to shoot arrows at his unconscious opponent, but he pointed at his son in the crowd after knocking his father out. This harkens back to a previous instance during which the kid taunted Adesanya for his loss against his dad.

Israel Adesanya Is The UFC’s Middleweight Champion

After the fight ended, a video went viral of Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira showing each other respect. Shortly after his victory, Adesanya delivered a powerful speech to those in attendance and viewers at home. “I hope every one of you behind the screens or in this arena can feel this level of happiness just one time in your life. I hope all of you can feel how f***ing happy I am just one time in your life. But guess what?

“You will never feel this level of happiness if you don’t go for something in your own life,” he continued. “When they knock you down, when they try and s**t on you, when they talk s**t about you, and they try to put their foot on your neck. If you stay down, you will never ever get that resolve. Fortify your mind and feel this level of happiness as you rise! One time in your life. But I’m blessed to be able to feel this s**t again and again and again and again and again!” Check out some notable clips from the event below and return to HNHH for the latest on middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

Highlights From Pereira Versus Adesanya

Donald Trump Hangs With Mike Tyson, Kid Rock & More At UFC 287

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Former and indicted president Donald Trump popped out for a surprise appearance at UFC 287. Not only that, but the Miami crowd on Saturday night (April 8) went crazy when he came out with Dana White and Kid Rock. Also, a picture went viral online of the trio posing up with Mike Tyson, and another made rounds for No. 45 grabbing a bottle of Prime energy drink. Given that news of his arrest and not guilty plea rocked the news world, many wondered how he was able to get there in the first place. When you’re facing accountability for your crimes and need a public boost in favor, all roads point to surprising a Florida sporting event.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that people spotted Donald Trump at UFC events, to varying degrees of anger. For example, celebrities like Mel Gibson and Addison Rae showed him some love at UFC 246, with many particularly criticizing Rae for saying hi. On that note, he also faced a lot of protestors outside UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden, which didn’t faze him at all as he attended the event. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Trump would want to greet fans yet again at the MMA brawl.

Donald Trump Pops Out At UFC 287 Amid Arrest

However, Donald Trump still has much bigger fish to fry. Recently, he responded to his legal troubles during a speech at Mar-A-Lago. “They can’t beat us at the ballot box, so they try to beat us through the law,” the 76-year-old said. “The only crime that I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it. The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information, for which he should be prosecuted — or at a minimum, he should resign.

“In the wings, they’ve got a local racist Democrat district attorney in Atlanta who is doing everything in our power to indict me over an absolutely perfect phone call — even more perfect than the one I made with the president of Ukraine,” he continued. “Then you have a radical left lunatic, known as a bomb-thrower, who is harassing hundreds of my people day after day over the boxes hoax. This lunatic new special prosecutor named Jack Smith … others of his ilk say he’s even worse than they are.” Hopefully his statements don’t obfuscate the extent of his crimes for those still on the fence. Regardless, check back in with HNHH for more bizarre updates on Donald Trump.

Israel Adesanya Hits Oddsmakers With Rare Praise

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Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title to Alex Pereira a few months back. Overall, Adesanya was the favorite to win that match. However, Pereira proved to be an incredible opponent. Of course, Adesanya is a superstar in the UFC, and the league was hoping for him to extend his title run a bit longer. Although now, he will have to win a rematch against Pereira in order to earn his title back. That rematch is set to go down Saturday at UFC 287. Needless to say, it is going to be a whole lot of fun.

Of course, this is not going to be an easy task. While Israel Adesanya has the tools to get it done, Pereira will be eager to showcase that his win was no fluke. Interestingly enough, heading into the match, Adesanya will be the slight favorite. Despite losing the first matchup, the oddsmakers are giving the edge to Izzy. Subsequently, the UFC superstar spoke about these odds while appearing on the TMZ Sports TV Show. For the most part, he is actually surprised that the oddsmakers would make him the favorite.

Israel Adesanya Is Excited To Get His Title Back

“I am surprised [that I’m the favorite] to be honest, cause I thought these bookies were not as smart as they are,” Adesanya said. “I’m surprised they actually picked me as the favorite cause I am the more polished fighter, but he’s the guy who got the tools, he’s got that nuke. Only a few fighters in history have that.” Of course, Israel Adesanya agrees with this recent assessment. It’s just that this was wholly unexpected given recent history. However, as we all know, odds have nothing to do with what actually goes down in the Octagon.

This will prove to be a very important match for Israel Adesanya. If he loses, he won’t be competing for another title, anytime soon. Moreover, it would be devastating for the UFC who are struggling to find a bonafide superstar to throw their support behind. Let us know who you think is going to win, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the sports world.

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