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UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya stopped his biggest threat for the second time on Saturday when he defeated Robert Whittaker in a rematch of her UFC 271 main event.
Adesanya (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) won a unanimous decision against Whittaker (23-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at the Toyota Center in Houston. It was a very competitive battle that put the champion era to the test. But in the end, "The Last Style Bender" got the job done, taking its record to 22-0, fighting for 185 pounds.
Whittaker (23-6) did well through the fight, but four of those five rounds were for Adesanya. Adesanya made some provocative and effective kicks outside the legs, and never found his self in any real danger. Whittaker adhered to his game plan, but needed to fight harder in the championship rounds. Clearly, it needed to be eliminated in order to win. Even with Whittaker's take-off, he wasn't just scoring.
This victory is Adesanya 's eleventh consecutive victory as a middleweight in the UFC, just two steps behind the record set by the great Anderson Silva. With each conquest, Adesanya continues to consolidate its legacy as one of the biggest steps ever taken to step into the octagon.
Israel Adesanya is the best middleweight in the world, but in the meantime, Jared Cannonier has pushed Derric Berunson in another direction, emphasizing
his place as the UFC Middleweight Championship title challenger.
Before the card of the week, it always seemed that the winner of the contest with Derric Berunson of Jared Cannonier would be the next for the champion.
And the fact that Cannonier Rubber sealed their victory with a strong finish, overcame the odds and knocked out in the first place, means he is clearly at the forefront.
At the post-fight press conference, Adesanya said: "The division is full of assassins. I'm looking forward to some fresh meat.
Cannonier, 37, had previously suffered a defeat at the hands of the Whittaker, but the spectacular nature of his victory in Houston, due to some brutal elbows on the ground, marked him as No. 1.
On paper, Adesanya should be too much for that but this is another day's conversation. Unless he or the champion feels the brunt of the injury, it looks like the fight will be over this summer.
And without delving too deep, Dana White agreed: 'I was excited to see that fight to see how it was gonna play out. It was an awesome fight and yeah, I’m not gonna say "no" to Cannonier.'
Now the question arises do you agree with us? If this fight happens, will Adesanya be able to defend its belt again?
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