# UFC 281
**UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira** was a pay-per-view mixed martial arts event held by the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) (UFC) on November 12, 2022 at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden) in New York City, headlined by a middleweight title fight between defending champion [Israel Adesanya](https://www.edgepedia.org/israel-adesanya) and his kickboxing rival Alex Pereira[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-281). Pereira won the title by fifth-round technical knockout, and the co-main event saw Zhang Weili reclaim the women's strawweight championship by submitting Carla Esparza[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira-esparza-vs-zhang-results-winner-interviews). The event sold out the arena with an announced attendance of 20,845 and gross revenue of $11,562,807.77[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bonus-coverage-2022-performance-fight-of-the-night).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | November 12, 2022, Madison Square Garden, New York City; main card on ESPN+ pay-per-view[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-281) • [4](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1292/ufc-281/archives/14) |
| Main event | Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya by TKO (punches) at 2:01 of Round 5 to win the middleweight title[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira-esparza-vs-zhang-results-winner-interviews) |
| Co-main event | Zhang Weili defeated Carla Esparza by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:05 of Round 2 to regain the strawweight title[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1292/ufc-281/archives/14) |
| Records entering | Adesanya 23-2, Pereira 7-1[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455633/israel-adesanya-vs-alex-pereira-full-fight-video-highlights-ufc-281) |
| Attendance and gate | 20,845 (sold out); gross revenue $11,562,807.77; 2nd highest-grossing event in Madison Square Garden history[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bonus-coverage-2022-performance-fight-of-the-night) |
| Bonuses | Fight of the Night: Poirier vs. Chandler; Performance of the Night: Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bonus-coverage-2022-performance-fight-of-the-night) |
## Main event: Pereira vs. Adesanya
The bout carried a backstory unusual for a title fight: Pereira had beaten Adesanya twice in kickboxing, including a 2017 knockout, and was the only man to have knocked Adesanya out in his combat sports career[6](https://www.espn.in/mma/story/_/id/34995968/ufc-281-rivalry-israel-adesanya-alex-pereira-only-man-knock-out). Their first meeting came on April 2, 2016, for the Chinese kickboxing promotion Glory of Heroes[6](https://www.espn.in/mma/story/_/id/34995968/ufc-281-rivalry-israel-adesanya-alex-pereira-only-man-knock-out). Pereira signed with the UFC in late 2021 and earned his shot with wins over Andreas Michailidis, Bruno Silva, and [Sean Strickland](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-strickland)[7](https://www.ufc.com/news/recap-every-ufc-title-fight-2022-pereira-makhachev-ngannou-sterling-volkanovski).
__The fight swung on the scorecards and then on one exchange.__ Adesanya hurt Pereira with a right hand at the end of the first round, took his first UFC takedown in the third and controlled the grappling, and led 39-37 on all three judges' scorecards (judges Eric Colon, Sal D'Amato, and Mike Bell) entering the fifth[8](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455852/alex-pereira-vs-israel-adesanya-official-ufc-281-scorecard-on-way-to-decision-win-ahead-final-round) • [9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455818/alex-pereira-stuns-israel-adesanya-with-fifth-round-standing-knockout-win-title-ufc-281-main-event). Needing a finish, Pereira pressed forward in the fifth, staggered Adesanya with a left hook against the cage, and continued a barrage of punches until referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight at 2:01 of Round 5[8](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455852/alex-pereira-vs-israel-adesanya-official-ufc-281-scorecard-on-way-to-decision-win-ahead-final-round) • [9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455818/alex-pereira-stuns-israel-adesanya-with-fifth-round-standing-knockout-win-title-ufc-281-main-event).
The win made Pereira UFC middleweight champion in only his fourth UFC bout, ending Adesanya's unbeaten run in the division[10](https://www.ufc.com/news/everything-you-might-have-missed-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira-results-scorecard-exclusive-interviews). ESPN later reported that Adesanya, who came into the rivalry 0–2 against Pereira in kickboxing ahead of their first MMA contest, would get an immediate rematch[11](https://www.espn.com.au/mma/story/_/id/36120120/ufc-287-live-results-analysis-alex-pereira-vs-israel-adesanya-jorge-masvidal-vs-gilbert-burns) • [16](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/they-have-history-pre-ufc-rematches-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira). That rematch, [UFC 287](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-287) in Miami on April 8, 2023, ended with Adesanya knocking Pereira out in the second round to reclaim the title[12](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-287-pereira-vs-adesanya-2-results-highlights-winner-interviews-miami?language_content_entity=en).
## Co-main event: Esparza vs. Zhang
[Zhang Weili](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhang-weili) defeated [Carla Esparza](https://www.edgepedia.org/carla-esparza) by rear-naked choke at 1:05 of Round 2 to reclaim the strawweight title she had previously held[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira-esparza-vs-zhang-results-winner-interviews). With the victory, Zhang became the third consecutive champion to hold the strawweight title twice, joining Esparza and [Rose Namajunas](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-namajunas)[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira-esparza-vs-zhang-results-winner-interviews). It was Esparza's first defense of her second reign[13](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/35012135/ufc-281-arrivals-stars).
## Main card and notable bouts
The main card produced five finishes in five fights beyond the two title bouts:
- [Dustin Poirier](https://www.edgepedia.org/dustin-poirier) defeated [Michael Chandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-chandler) by rear-naked choke at 2:00 of Round 3 in a lightweight bout awarded Fight of the Night; the fight lasted 12 minutes[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bonus-coverage-2022-performance-fight-of-the-night) • [4](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1292/ufc-281/archives/14).
- Chris Gutierrez defeated former lightweight champion [Frankie Edgar](https://www.edgepedia.org/frankie-edgar) by first-round KO (knee) at 2:01; Edgar retired from MMA after the fight[14](https://www.ufc.com/news/official-scorecards-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira) • [7](https://www.ufc.com/news/recap-every-ufc-title-fight-2022-pereira-makhachev-ngannou-sterling-volkanovski).
- Dan Hooker, who entered the fight 1-4 in his previous five, stopped Claudio Puelles by TKO (body kick) at 4:06 of Round 2[14](https://www.ufc.com/news/official-scorecards-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira) • [15](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/35012122/ufc-281-next-alex-pereira-israel-adesanya-zhang-weili-dustin-poirier-more).
## Preliminary card results
[Renato Moicano](https://www.edgepedia.org/renato-moicano) submitted Brad Riddell by rear-naked choke at 3:20 of Round 1; [Erin Blanchfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/erin-blanchfield) submitted [Molly McCann](https://www.edgepedia.org/molly-mccann) by kimura at 3:37 of Round 1; Ryan Spann knocked out Dominick Reyes at 1:20 of Round 1; Andre Petroski took a unanimous decision over Wellington Turman (30-27, 30-27, 29-28); Matt Frevola knocked out Ottman Azaitar at 2:30 of Round 1; Karolina Kowalkiewicz outpointed Silvana Gomez Juarez (29-28 on all cards); Michael Trizano finished Seung Woo Choi by first-round KO at 4:51 in a round in which both men were dropped; Montel Jackson outpointed Julio Arce (30-27, 30-27, 29-28); and Carlos Ulberg stopped Nicolae Negumereanu by first-round KO at 3:44[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1292/ufc-281/archives/14) • [14](https://www.ufc.com/news/official-scorecards-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira).
## Attendance and financial context
UFC 281 drew a sold-out announced attendance of 20,845 and gross revenue of $11,562,807.77, making it the second highest-grossing event in Madison Square Garden history at the time, behind only another UFC event, and the fifth highest-grossing event in UFC history[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bonus-coverage-2022-performance-fight-of-the-night). It also extended the venue's run of sellouts to 27 consecutive full-capacity shows[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bonus-coverage-2022-performance-fight-of-the-night).
## References
1. [UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-281)
2. [UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira Results, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira-esparza-vs-zhang-results-winner-interviews)
3. [UFC Bonuses: Every Single UFC Bonus in 2022, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bonus-coverage-2022-performance-fight-of-the-night)
4. [UFC 281 fight card, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1292/ufc-281/archives/14)
5. [Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira full fight video highlights, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455633/israel-adesanya-vs-alex-pereira-full-fight-video-highlights-ufc-281)
6. ['The stone in his shoe': Inside the rivalry between Israel Adesanya and the only man to knock him out, ESPN](https://www.espn.in/mma/story/_/id/34995968/ufc-281-rivalry-israel-adesanya-alex-pereira-only-man-knock-out)
7. [Recap Every UFC Title Fight From 2022, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/recap-every-ufc-title-fight-2022-pereira-makhachev-ngannou-sterling-volkanovski)
8. [Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya official UFC 281 scorecard, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455852/alex-pereira-vs-israel-adesanya-official-ufc-281-scorecard-on-way-to-decision-win-ahead-final-round)
9. [Alex Pereira stuns Israel Adesanya with fifth-round standing knockout to win title, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/13/23455818/alex-pereira-stuns-israel-adesanya-with-fifth-round-standing-knockout-win-title-ufc-281-main-event)
10. [Everything You Might've Missed From UFC 281, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/everything-you-might-have-missed-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira-results-scorecard-exclusive-interviews)
11. [UFC 287: Israel Adesanya settles score vs. Alex Pereira, ESPN](https://www.espn.com.au/mma/story/_/id/36120120/ufc-287-live-results-analysis-alex-pereira-vs-israel-adesanya-jorge-masvidal-vs-gilbert-burns)
12. [UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2 Results, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-287-pereira-vs-adesanya-2-results-highlights-winner-interviews-miami?language_content_entity=en)
13. [UFC 281 arrivals: Adesanya, Pereira enter MSG in style, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/35012135/ufc-281-arrivals-stars)
14. [Official Scorecards | UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/official-scorecards-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira)
15. [UFC 281: Who's next for Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya, Zhang Weili, Dustin Poirier and more?, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/35012122/ufc-281-next-alex-pereira-israel-adesanya-zhang-weili-dustin-poirier-more)
16. ['They Have History' - Pre-UFC Rematches, UFC 281](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/they-have-history-pre-ufc-rematches-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › UFC numbered events 201–300*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license