ISRAEL ADESANYA RETAINED his UFC middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Robert Whittaker in the UFC 271 main event on Saturday night.
The win was Adesanya’s fourth successful defence since becoming the unified champion at 185lbs in his first showdown with Whittaker in October 2019, and took his record to 22-1.
The judges scored the fight 48-47, 48-47, 49-46, ending Whittaker’s three-fight winning streak and leaving his record at 23-6.
“I knew he was going to bring everything,” Adesanya said afterwards.
“I knew he was going to bring everything because last time I took everything away from him, so he had nothing to lose.
“Like I said, I’m the champ. You want it? Come get it.”
Tai Tuivasa earned a Performance of the Night bonus after he stopped fellow heavyweight Derrick Lewis in the second round of their co-main event, while Jared Cannonier also collected a bonus for his stoppage win over Derek Brunson.
There were also victories for Renato Moicano and Bobby Green earlier on the main card at the Toyota Centre in Houston.
UFC 271 – Main Card results
- Israel Adesanya bt. Robert Whittaker UD (48-47 x 2, 49-46)
- Tai Tuivasa bt. Derrick Lewis KO2 (1:40)
- Jared Cannonier bt. Derek Brunson KO2 (4:29)
- Renato Moicano bt. Alexander Hernandez SUB2 (1:23)
- Bobby Green bt. Nasrat Haqparast UD (30-27 x 3)
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
