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.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Combat Sports coverage.
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.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Follow Us on Social Media:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Tumblr, and YouTube
Keep Independent Journalism Alive! Ad-free experience and Exclusive Premium-plus content.
Join our Paid Substack for additional content for $10 per month. This is ad-free content. We believe that what you read matters and great writing is valuable. Through Substack, writers can flourish by being paid directly by their readers.
© 2007-2024 The Capital Sports Report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.
