Alex Pereira completed a meteoric rise to UFC middleweight championship with a fifth-round TKO win over Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 281 from Madison Square Garden.

Both fighters wasted no time in getting right to it. The two exchanged strikes in the first round like you'd expect from familiar foes.

Pereira was more often the aggressor but Adesanya was quick with counters of his own. The most notable exchange came at the very end of the round where The Last Stylebender landed a flush right hand and left hook that could have ended the fight if it weren't for the bell.

Pereira successfully recovered and had plenty of strong moments in the second frame. He scored early and often with a stiff jab and even ended the round with a surprise takedown.

It was Adesanya's turn to showcase his grappling skills in a rare display in the third round. He scored a takedown off the clinch and spent a lot of the round with control of Pereira's back.

Adesanya appeared to be in cruise control through the fourth round, but Pereira slammed the breaks on that thought in the fifth round. He smashed Adesanya with several power punches, including a left hook that was reminiscent of their kickboxing bout.

Pereira continues to have Adesanya's number across combat sports. The two men met in the kickboxing ring, and the Brazilian came out on top both times, knocking Adesanya out in the rematch.

As it turns out, Pereira's kickboxing and power have transitioned seamlessly to the MMA cage.

Pereira only needed seven professional fights and three wins in the UFC to earn a crack at Adesanya. Now, he's the champion.

The loss ends a dominant reign over the division for Adesanya. He was going for his sixth consecutive title defense and will likely have an immediate rematch if he wants it. Pereira predicted before the fight it isn't something the now-former champion will be interested in.

“It makes no difference who they want to put after [to challenge for the belt],” Pereira told MMA Junkie. “He deserves it, but after this fight, he isn’t going to want it.”

Given Adesanya's competitive spirit, it's hard to see him turning down a fourth opportunity to pick up a win against a man who has been a thorn in his side.

So while we are likely headed toward another matchup between the two strikers, Pereira's win opens up many more possibilities.

Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori are among the highest-ranked in the division, but Adesanya already held wins over each of them.

If Adesanya can't solve the Pereira puzzle, the middleweight division is about to get really interesting.