“Bring him back” – Israel Adesanya claims he would still be champion if infamous referee Steve Mazzagatti was at Alex Pereira fight

“Bring him back” – Israel Adesanya claims he would still be champion if infamous referee Steve Mazzagatti was at Alex Pereira fight

Israel Adesanya wished Steve Mazzagatti had refereed his fight against Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya misses Steve Mazzagatti after his loss against Alex Pereira at UFC 281. The fighter responds to the claims of early stoppages in a hilarious way.

UFC 281 was a complete shocker to everyone around the world as the dominant middleweight champion faced his first loss in the 185-pound division against his nemesis, Alex Pereira, in the main event. After going into the final round with the scorecards in his favor, Adesanya lost to the Brazilian via TKO in the final two minutes of the fight.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fd3XCJMd6sE

Many claims of early stoppages have erupted as referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight before the former champ lost his shield. Adesanya though not upset with his loss jokes would’ve lost the round but not the fight if infamous referee Steve Mazzagatti was in the octagon. Mazzagatti was a referee who was infamous for late stoppages and also had beef with UFC President Dana White.

FS Video

At the UFC 281 post-fight press conference, Izzy joked, “F**king bring back Steve Mazzagatti. I’d have been fine. He might have won that round but I’d still be champion.” Many fans and pros believe Alex Pereira did not do enough to deserve the stoppage as Izzy was still bobbing and weaving his head to escape the strikes of his opponent.

Read more: “Followed him to MMA and obliterated” – Zayn Malik, Khamzat Chimaev, and other fans react to Alex Pereira dethroning nemesis Israel Adesanya at nail-biting UFC 281 fight

Israel Adesanya had a classy response after his loss against Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira UFC 281
Alex Pereira walks off after beating Israel Adesanya at UFC 281

It is never easy to lose a championship fight. Especially if you are a champion with 5 title defenses under your belt. Adesanya was very close to making history yet again by defeating his rival from kickboxing but a brutal TKO in the dying minutes of the fight cost him his belt.

Despite going 3-0 against Alex Pereira, and despite facing a brutal loss, Israel Adesanya was classy as ever in defeat. His first loss as a middleweight fighter in his mixed martial arts career and Adesanya made an amazing gesture to the fans that came out supporting him at the Madison Square Garden. The fighter made sure he bowed to the packed arena and show his gratitude.

Also read: Was Israel Adesanya ever a kickboxing champion?

Adesanya is still in good spirits after his loss. The fighter has been one of the most dominant champions in the history of the promotion. Adesanya became the undisputed 185-pound champion in 2019 and already has five title defenses to his name. That is some feat for a fighter. Do you think a rematch against Pereira makes sense?

Also read: “Turns up to events and slaps people” – Dillon Danis is Nate Diaz’s new victim as he gets “Stockton Slap” treatment at UFC 281