By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya retained his Championship belt on Saturday night. He defeated Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 by unanimous decision at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Adesanya is now 2-0 after his move back to Middleweight. He made his Light Heavyweight debut on March 6, 2021, before being defeated by Jan Błachowicz in a unanimous decision.
This is Adesanya’s fourth UFC Middleweight Championship title defense. As the Champion, he defeated Marvin Vettori, Paulo Costa, and Yoel Romero.
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The Nigerian-born fighter, who now calls New Zealand home, won the title at UFC 243 on October 6, 2019, against Whittaker. He unified the UFC Middleweight Championship with the win.
He had previously won the interim UFC Middleweight Championship against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236.
With the win, the New Zealand native improved to 22-1 in his MMA career. This was just his seventh decision win.
However, his last three wins have come via a decision. He has not knocked out an opponent since Costa at UFC 253 on September 27, 2020.
Adesanya has 15 knockouts in his career.
Whittaker, who was born in New Zealand but calls Australia home now, fell to 23-6 in his MMA career with the loss. This loss snapped his three-fight win streak.
He has not lost to an opponent outside of Adesanya since a loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC 170 on February 22, 2014, in Las Vegas.
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