Israel Adesanya claims major injury nearly forced him out of iconic UFC 287 win

Israel Adesanya’s iconic knockout win at UFC 287 almost didn’t come to fruition after suffering a major camp injury days before the fight.

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was 0-3 all-time against Alex Pereira entering their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 287. Adesanya got the chance to run it back with Pereira in Mixed Martial Arts after Pereira rallied to dethrone him at UFC 281 just months earlier.

Adesanya went on to pull off one of the most iconic knockouts in UFC history at UFC 287, sleeping Pereira with a blistering combination as he was on the cusp of a potential stoppage himself. He did Pereira’s iconic ‘bow and arrow’ as Pereira lay flat on the canvas.

As Adesanya looks to bounce back from a recent losing streak, he shared a never-before-told story surrounding his UFC 287 KO, which arguably makes it even more impressive.

Israel Adesanya suffered ‘really bad injury’ 10 days before Alex Pereira KO

In a recent episode of the Precision podcast with Demetrious Johnson, Adesanya explained what happened just days before his rematch against Pereira.

Israel Adesanya knocking out Alex Pereira at UFC 287 to regain the middleweight champion. The best knockout of 2023.

Adesanya returns Saturday, February 1st, in his first non-title fight since 2019. pic.twitter.com/7t8hrlw0Tc

— Thomas Walker (@FStylesMMA) January 31, 2025

“The biggest [injury] was UFC 287 in Miami, against Pereira. It was 10 days out, and I had a really bad right knee injury,” Adesanya said.

“That was personal, though, so that one was more than just my name being on the banner. A lot of people were banking on this fight, and if I didn’t get the opportunity to do that fight, then I might never have gotten that opportunity again. You have to risk it; you have to be willing to risk it no matter what.

“For that fight, I was willing to risk it. Thank God that I won and I pulled it off, but sometimes you have situations like [Conor McGregor].”

Adesanya recently announced a shocking split from his longtime gym, City Kickboxing, after losing his fourth consecutive fight. He hasn’t fought since a TKO loss to Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle.

Can Israel Adesanya return to the top of the UFC middleweight division? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!