Nigerian Israel Adesanya retains middleweight title in fierce UFC 271 rematch
Oviri Kelvin
Nigeria international and UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, through a unanimous decision, has retained the middleweight title ahead of Previous Challenger Robert Whittaker.
Whittaker, who had earlier been knocked out in October 2019 by Adesanya in the second round at the UFC 243, failed to win the undisputed middleweight title in Melbourne.
In the UFC271 rematch on Saturday in Texas, Whittaker kept himself firmly to the game to forge a decider through the judges’ scorecards by sticking to a conservative game plan.
The rematch was even contested at the Toyota Center with all h three judges in a unanimous decision awarded Adesanya 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 to retain the undisputed middleweight title.
The Nigerian New Zealand-based athlete, 32years of age, dropped Robert Whittaker in the opening hours of the game with a sublime punch to render him unstable and demolished him after the first round with a powerful leg kick.
Trying to keep himself in contention, Whittaker in the remainder of the bout, kept Adesanya to speculate having worked behind to a well-drilled double jab and mixed in takedown attempts.
Meanwhile, it was Adesanya’s cleaner striking from a range that proved crucial as he hammered the challenger’s legs with kicks throughout the contest and effectively nullified Whittaker’s offence on the ground to improve his record to 21-1 and extend his undefeated run as a middleweight.
During a post-match interview with former UFC champion, Daniel Cormier, Adesanya said he knew Whittaker was going to put up a tough challenge which according to him the challenger has nothing to lose.
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Adesanya said, “I knew he was going to bring everything because last time I took everything away from him.
“So, he had nothing to lose. And like I said, I’m the champ. Come get it,” he added.
Referring to middleweight contender, Jared Cannonier, who recorded an impressive win in Houston, Adesanya revealed that he may come back to action in June to challenge him.
He said, “I know June doesn’t have a pay-per-view yet, but like I said, I’m the new dog in the yard, I’m the big dog in the yard now. And I know the other dog, Jared Cannonier, did some work tonight.”
However, Whittaker who was unhappy with the outcome of the contest stated that despite the poor show in his first round, he outclassed Adesanya in the remaining rounds.
He said, “I know I started off-rocky in that first round, but I feel like I took every round after that,” he said.
“It is what it is, but you know what they say about leaving it to the judges.
“I’m happy that I fought my heart out and left it here. But, I’m gutted. I thought I did enough. I thought I took that,” he concluded.
