Nigerian-born UFC Middleweight Champion, Isreal Adesanya has defeated Australia’s Robert Whittaker via Unanimous Decision to retained his title in the Main Event of UFC 271 Held In Texas, USA.
The New Zealand-based Nigerian Adesanya previously knocked out Whittaker in the second round at UFC 243 in October 2019 to capture the undisputed middleweight title in Melbourne.
After their tightly-contested title bout at the Toyota Center went the distance, all three judges were in agreement on the victory and Adesanya was awarded the unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.
Adesanya, 32, dropped Whittaker, 31, with a straight shot in the opening minutes of the bout, and the challenger cut a somewhat demoralised figure on his stool after the first round as he told his corner how much trouble the champion’s leg kicks had already caused him.
But for the remainder of the bout, Whittaker looked to keep Adesanya guessing as he worked behind a well-drilled double jab and mixed in takedown attempts to keep himself in contention.
However, 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.
RN