For a moment in the second round, it looked like Alex Pereira had Israel Adesanya exactly where he wanted him.
"Poatan" launched a couple of leg kicks and had Adesanya pressed up against the cage, even unleashing a devastating knee up the middle.
But right when it looked like Pereira was going to unleash his destructive power once again, Adesanya set a trap and turned the Brazilian's aggression against him. "The Last Stylebender" uncorked a hellacious right hook to the temple and another one that knocked Pereira out cold as Adesanya regained his middleweight world championship in the headliner of UFC 287 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, and live on pay per view.
"Tonight, it's my story," Adesanya also said after delivering the second-round KO. "History!"
He added: "I told you, the hunter is now the hunted."
With the victory, Adesanya not only re-established himself as one of mixed martial arts' all-time greats but also exacted sweet revenge against Pereira, who had defeated him by fifth-round TKO in November and twice prior during their pro kickboxing days.
Baiting Pereira in and allowing him to go for another power surge just to turn his lights out was a measured, skilled counterattack that put Adesanya back on top of the division, silencing any critics in the process.
Here's how the entire UFC 287 went.