Oh, revenge always feels so, so sweet. After getting TKO'd by Alex Pereira in UFC 281 of November last year, Israel Adesanya was eager to defend his glory. Pereira has always had Adesanya's number, whether it was in kickboxing or MMA. On Saturday night, Stylebender got his revenge, cleanly knocking out Pereira with a flurry of blows. Despite getting his revenge, though, Adesanya made sure to give his flowers to his opponent after their battle. (video via UFC)

If you needed more proof of Isreal Adesanya's respect towards Alex Pereira, look no further than his comments after the bout.

“No matter what, Alex is a great champion,” Adesanya said. “He lost the belt tonight, but he will always be a champion. In his story, I'm the antagonist. In his story, I'm the bad guy. But tonight, it's my story. History.”

The win marks Israel Adesanya's first victory against Alex Pereira in UFC professionally. Previously, the two battled it out in kickboxing competitions, which the latter won. After that, they fought in the Octagon, where Pereira stole victory and Adesanya's belt by drawing a TKO. Now, Stylebender reclaims his belt, improving to a monstrous 24-2 record.

It seemed at first that Pereira would pick up where he left off, pinning Adesanya to the cage. As it turns out, though, this was an intentional move by the Stylebender. He hit a massive right punch that shook Pereira, then proceeded to hit a right-left combo to knock his rival down. A vicious hammerfist from Adesanya sealed the deal, as the referee called it a fight.