UFC 281 Results: Adesanya vs. Pereira

UFC 281 brought two championship changes to Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 12, 2022. Alex Pereira stopped Israel Adesanya in the fifth round to win the middleweight belt, Zhang Weili submitted Carla Esparza to regain the strawweight title, and Dustin Poirier finished Michael Chandler in a turbulent lightweight fight.

Pereira finds the late finish

Adesanya had strong stretches on the feet and on the ground, and entered the final round ahead on the scorecards. Pereira nevertheless remained dangerous, carrying the power and pressure that had already shaped their earlier kickboxing rivalry.

In round five, Pereira trapped Adesanya near the fence and landed a sustained series of punches. Referee Marc Goddard stopped the contest at 2:01, giving Pereira a TKO victory and the middleweight championship in their first MMA meeting.

Zhang regains the strawweight championship

Zhang and Esparza traded grappling positions before Zhang established the control she needed in round two. She trapped an arm and finished a rear-naked choke at 1:05, ending Esparza’s second title reign.

Poirier submitted Chandler in round three after a fight marked by heavy exchanges and demanding scrambles. Poirier’s ability to survive difficult positions and capitalize when he reached Chandler’s back gave the main card another decisive finish.

Edgar’s farewell and a busy undercard

Chris Gutiérrez knocked Frankie Edgar out with a knee in Edgar’s retirement fight. Dan Hooker stopped Claudio Puelles with a body kick, returning to the lightweight win column.

The preliminaries included Renato Moicano’s submission of Brad Riddell, Ryan Spann’s knockout of Dominick Reyes and Erin Blanchfield’s kimura against Molly McCann. Matt Frevola, Michael Trizano and Carlos Ulberg also scored finishes, while André Petroski, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Montel Jackson won decisions across the 14-fight card.

Complete UFC 281 results

• Alex Pereira def. Israel Adesanya — TKO (punches), R5, 2:01.
• Zhang Weili def. Carla Esparza — submission (rear-naked choke), R2, 1:05.
• Dustin Poirier def. Michael Chandler — submission (rear-naked choke), R3, 2:00.
• Chris Gutiérrez def. Frankie Edgar — KO (knee), R1, 2:01.
• Dan Hooker def. Claudio Puelles — TKO (body kick), R2, 4:06.
• Renato Moicano def. Brad Riddell — submission (rear-naked choke), R1, 3:20.
• Ryan Spann def. Dominick Reyes — KO (punch), R1, 1:20.
• Erin Blanchfield def. Molly McCann — submission (kimura), R1, 3:37.
• André Petroski def. Wellington Turman — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Matt Frevola def. Ottman Azaitar — KO (punches), R1, 2:30.
• Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Silvana Gomez Juarez — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Michael Trizano def. Choi Seung-woo — KO (punches), R1, 4:51.
• Montel Jackson def. Julio Arce — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Carlos Ulberg def. Nicolae Negumereanu — KO (punches), R1, 3:44.

Sources

UFC 281 official results; UFC 281 official scorecards; Event results record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 281, Mixed Martial Arts