Nigerian-born UFC fighter, Israel Adesanya, has thanked Alex Pereira for defeating him in their previous encounter.
Adesanya was speaking after he knocked out Pereira to reclaim the UFC middleweight title.
He told Joe Rogan and the rest of the Kaseya Center: “I told you, the hunter is now the hunted. I thought I told him this before but thank you. Thank you for beating me.
“By beating me, he made me a better fighter. A better person. In this camp, I didn’t f* around. If you know me, you know I like a vacation but I didn’t f* around. I stayed on the grind.”
The Brazilian scored a TKO victory that stunned the MMA world and left questions over the legacy of Adesanya.
However, he returned triumphant with the huge knockout on Saturday night.