When Israel Adesanya shared his POV of Alex Pereira's infamous oxygen mask KO at Glory Kickboxing: "I don’t need that"

Israel Adesanya once weighed in on the well-known moment when he was given an oxygen mask after being knocked out by Alex Pereira at Glory Kickboxing. Both former UFC middleweight champions are tied to one of the most iconic rivalries in combat sports history, having faced each other four times across different stages of their careers.

Before splitting their two UFC encounters, Adesanya and Pereira first crossed paths twice in the world of kickboxing, with 'Poatan' emerging victorious in both matchups. The first meeting ended in a unanimous decision, while their second clash at Glory of Heroes 7 in March 2017 saw 'The Last Stylebender' brutally knocked out in the third round.

Adesanya fell prey to Pereira's infamous left hook, a devastating knockout blow that left the Nigerian-born Kiwi in need of immediate medical attention. The impact was so severe that he was unable to stand on his own and had to be given oxygen right there in the ring.

During his appearance on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von in February, 'The Last Stylebender' opened up about the first knockout loss of his career at the hands of the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion:

"So I fight Alex, doing work, beating him, and then he catches me because I rocked him in the second round. Then, in the third round, he just came back, rallied up, and just caught me. Flatlined me. That’s the only time I’ve ever been knocked out. And then, yeah, when I came [to my senses], I remember they were rushing me, trying to put an oxygen mask on me, and I was like, ‘I don’t need that; hold up.’ They tried to take me out on the stretcher as well, and I was like, 'Chill, champ. It’s not that deep.'"

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (6:35):

Adesanya ultimately triumphed over 'Poatan' by delivering a knockout of his own at UFC 287, successfully avenging his previous title defeat.

When Marvin Vettori wished for Israel Adesanya to again require an oxygen mask against Alex Pereira

During a media interaction before his bout against Robert Whittaker at UFC Paris in September 2022, Marvin Vettori offered his insights on the Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira middleweight title fight at UFC 281.

Vettori, who had endured two defeats at the hands of Adesanya, voiced his desire for Pereira to deliver another knockout blow to 'The Last Stylebender', reminiscent of their previous encounter in kickboxing: