Adesanya retained his title with a unanimous decision against Whittaker.
Israel Adesanya is considered to be one of the best and most exciting fighters in the entire UFC right now. Every time he steps into the Octagon, something special happens, and that was certainly true on Saturday night as he faced off against Robert Whittaker for the second time. Adesanya’s middleweight title was at stake, and in the end, Izzy was successful in retaining his belt thanks to a unanimous decision.
The points were incredibly close for this fight as it ended 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. Whittaker got off to a slow start, and from there, Adesanya was able to fight defensively in order to ensure the victory. White Whittaker believes he should have won, he also acknowledged that the slow start cost him dearly.
After the fight, Adesanya spoke about his strategy going in, and how he felt about the win. He then went on to challenge Jared Cannonier, as Adesanya is looking to get back into the Octagon in June.
“I knew he was going to bring everything because last time I took everything away from him. He had nothing to lose. But, like I said, I’m the champ, you have to come and get it,” Adesanya said. “I know June doesn’t have a pay-per-view yet. But, like I said, I’m the new dog in the yard and I’m the big dog in the yard. I know the other dog, Jared Cannonier, did some work tonight. Yeah, I’m pissing in this cage in June. Watch me.”
WHAT A FIGHT 🔥
Who do you think should leave Houston with the belt? 👑
[ #UFC271 | Tune in LIVE on E+ PPV: https://t.co/K6X32sXlXb ] pic.twitter.com/rn8CFKcOLr
— UFC (@ufc) February 13, 2022
Israel Adesanya does the double on The Reaper! 😤@stylebender defeats Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision to retain his UFC Middleweight Championship! 🏆#UFC271 pic.twitter.com/nWuVHimOQw
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) February 13, 2022
