President-elect Bola Tinubu has congratulated Israel Adesanya on reclaiming his middleweight title at the UFC 287 in Miami, Florida, USA.
The Nigeria-born New Zealander won back the title on Saturday just five months after he lost it to Brazilian Alex Pereira, who has previously beaten him twice in kickboxing.
Tinubu said in a tweet on Sunday that Adesanya never stopped believing in himself and Nigerians never stopped believing in him.
He said, “Congratulations to Isreal Adesanya @stylebender on reclaiming the UFC Middleweight Title.
“He never stopped believing in himself and we did not stop believing in him. #NaijaProud.”
Heading into the fight, Adesanya was 0-3 against Pereira, having been knocked out in the last two. The most recent finish came on November 12, 2022, in New York when Pereira, trailing three rounds to one on all three scorecards, rallied to knock Adesanya out in the fifth round at UFC 281 to win the middleweight title.
It took Adesanya just two rounds to end Pereira’s dominance and reclaim the middleweight title he lost last November.
Until now, Adesanya has been in the shadows of the Brazilian since 2017 when they first met in kickboxing.
The Nigerian described his victory as a sweet revenge.
“This is a sweet sweet victory and you know I have a sweet tooth. The hunter is now the haunted,” Adesanya said during his post-fight interview inside the octagon.
