Israel Adesanya continues his iconic run, successfully defending his middleweight title against Robert Whittaker. Catch up on all the action from UFC271, via JustinBarrasso:
Whittaker hit a couple jabs to Adesanya’s face in the first two minutes of the fifth round. He then hit Adesanya with another takedown, as well as a stiff left hand. Whittaker stayed on Adesanya, never letting him explode offensively, and he avoided the knockout blow at all costs. This wasn’t the most popular fight, as evidenced by the boos from those in attendance, but it was an approach that gave Whittaker a real shot at winning.
The fight went longer than expected. Tuivasa wisely extended the bout by keeping the action against the fence. Lewis delivered two takedowns in the opening round, and there was a brief explosive exchange where both heavyweights attempted to land the knockout blow. But it was the second-round exchange that marked the definitive moment, as Tuivasa landed a left hook, right hand, and then the vicious right elbow, which caused Lewis to face plant.MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT: DEREK BRUNSON VS.
The pace slowed down considerably in the second round, and Brunson looked like he gassed himself out going for the win in the first round. Cannonier landed an elbow and backhand, allowing him to seize control of the fight, and put an emphatic end to Brunson’s five-fight win streak. In his post-Octagon interview, Moicano said he wants a big-money fight. He lost to Rafael Fiziev, a ranked opponent, in December of 2020, but he is making a loud case to get in the cage with another top-15 fight.Bobby Green has been a pro since 2008, and he continues to get better with age.This was a boxing clinic for Green. His straight shots, jabs and combinations all did a number on Haqparast’s face. This marks two wins in a row for Green, who was the crowd favorite in Houston, Texas.