Israel Adesanya Wins Rematch with Robert Whittaker, Defends Middleweight Belt at UFC 271

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Israel Adesanya took a far different route to win his return date with Robert Whittaker.

The City Kickboxing stalwart outdueled his rival over five-closely contested rounds to retain his middleweight crown in the UFC 271 headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night. All three cageside judges struck tallies for Adesanya: 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. It was a far cry from their first meeting, when Adesanya claimed the 185-pound title with a second-round KO of Whittaker at UFC 243 in October 2019.

“I knew he was gonna bring everything because last time I took everything away from him,” Adesanya said. “And he had nothing to lose. Like I said, I’m the champ. If you want it, come get it.”

Adesanya (22-1, 11-1 UFC) was at his best in the opening round, when he repeatedly chopped away at Whittaker’s leg with low kicks and sat him down with a laser straight left. While it briefly seemed as though a rout might be underway, Whittaker (23-6, 14-4 UFC) displayed his resolve over the course of the fight, attacking with left jabs and left hooks while effectively blending in takedowns and clinch work. Although “The Reaper” couldn’t keep Adesanya down for any significant period of time, the different aspects of his offense were enough to make the fight interesting.

“I know I started off rocky in the first round, but I feel like I took every round after that,” Whittaker said. “I’m happy that I fought my heart out and I left it here. I thought I did enough (to win).”

Ultimately, Adesanya’s varied striking and cage control were enough to get the nod, as he continued his assault on Whittaker’s legs throughout the contest while blending other attacks when the opportunity arose. In the aftermath of his latest triumph, Adesanya targeted a June return against Jared Cannonier, who defeated Derek Brunson earlier on the card.

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Tuivasa Scores Faceplant KO Against Lewis

Tai Tuivasa is the rare fighter that went toe-to-toe in a slugfest with Derrick Lewis and lived to tell the tale.

In fact, the affable Australian did far more than that: He knocked Lewis, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s all-time knockout leader, out cold in his hometown in the evening’s heavyweight co-main event. A vicious standing elbow against the fence from Tuivasa (14-3, 8-3 UFC) sent Lewis (26-9, 17-7 UFC) face-first to the canvas, bringing an instant end to the contest 1:40 into Round 2.

“That’s the king of knockouts. Much respect to Derrick. But like I said: I’m young and I’m upcoming and I’m taking over now,” Tuivasa said.

“I like throwing elbows. I like getting nitty-gritty. I’m f—-ing always down to get down, baby.”

Tuivasa had to survive heavy fire to earn his fifth straight UFC triumph. Lewis executed a trip takedown in Round 1 and then unloaded with a series of right hands on the mat. A lesser fighter might not have survived the blows, but Tuivasa returned to his feet to swing away and both heavyweights made it to the final horn.

Then, Tuivasa was on the defensive early in the second period when a Lewis combination had him retreating toward the fence. A wild exchange ensued and Tuivasa rocked “The Black Beast” with one elbow before shoving his foe against the fence and landing the decisive blow.

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Cannonier Elbows Bludgeon Brunson

Jared Cannonier staked his claim to the No. 1 contender’s spot in the UFC middleweight division, authoring an emphatic finish of fellow contender Derek Brunson. The MMA Lab product rendered Brunson unconscious with a trio of brutal elbows on the canvas at the 4:29 mark of Round 2. “The Killa Gorilla” has been victorious in five of his last six Octagon appearances.

Brunson (23-8, 14-6 UFC) put his game plan to work in the opening stanza, as he grounded Cannonier (15-5, 8-5 UFC) twice and floored him with a counter right hook late in the period. Brunson’s inability to finish his foe with an ensuing rear-naked choke in the waning seconds proved to be costly, however. The North Carolina native’s body language changed early in the second round when he took Cannonier down and then appeared to be stunned by a right hook when the combatants returned to their feet.

From there, Cannonier repeatedly tagged his adversary with right hands before staggering Brunson with a short standing elbow and follow-up backfist in close quarters. Cannonier then shoved Brunson to the mat, tied up his right arm and unloaded the fight-finishing salvo from top position. Brunson sees a five-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.

‘Moicano’ Rocks, Submits Hernandez

Former featherweight competitor Renato Carneiro won for the third time in four 155-pound appearances, submitting Factory X member Alexander Hernandez with a rear-naked choke. “Moicano” forced Hernandez to ask out of the fight at the 1:23 mark of Round 2. Carneiro’s last four UFC triumphs have come via rear-naked choke.

Hernandez (13-5, 5-4 UFC) appeared to be gaining momentum late in Round 1, when he returned to his feet after being taken down and put Carneiro (16-4-1, 8-4 UFC) on his heels with a blend of punching combinations and kicks. The tide shifted in the second period, as Carneiro rocked Hernandez with a pair of clean right hands and then countered a desperation shot with a knee to the body. The Brazilian then powered his man to the canvas, transitioned to the fight-ending choke and elicited the tapout in short order.

Green Sweeps Scorecards Against Haqparast

Bobby Green’s unique boxing style carried him to a clear-cut unanimous verdict over Tristar Gym representative Nasrat Haqparast in a featured lightweight encounter. The former King of the Cage titleholder swept the scorecards with a trio of 30-27 tallies. “King” has been victorious in five of his last seven UFC appearances.

It was a classic Green (29-12, 10-7-1 UFC) performance in many respects. Hands held low, he repeatedly split Haqparat’s guard with straight punches while slipping and rolling away from many of his opponent’s most dangerous offerings. Over time, Haqparast’s face wore the damage from Green’s assault, as his face was reddened and his nose was bloodied. While Haqparast (13-5, 4-3 UFC) continued to press forward until the final horn, he couldn’t match the output from Green’s stick-and-move approach in losing his second consecutive bout.

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