What mattered most at UFC 248 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Israel Adesanya not to blame
One of the primary storylines coming out of the main event between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero is who is more to blame for the underwhelming headliner, which ultimately saw Adesanya retain his middleweight title by unanimous decision.
For me, it has to be Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), the challenger. Although I don’t agree with the whole “To be the champ, you have to beat the champ” cliche, there’s an aspect of truth to it. Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) came into the fight as the champion, and whether it’s a spectacular win, a boring win or a draw, he keeps the belt. Of course we wish every champion would put on scintillating performances, but as Adesanya said post fight, he’s the one with everything to lose in this scenario, from his title to sponsorships to the money that comes with holding down the throne.
Did Adesanya frustrate some fans? Sure. Did he lose some? Possibly. But it reminds me in a way of Georges St-Pierre in his prime. He had many title defenses in which fans left displeased with him, but he still remained one of the most popular figures in the sport, and for the most part people came back for the next one.
You can bet that will happen here for Adesanya’s next title defense against Paulo Costa later this year.
6 biggest takeaways from UFC 248: Adesanya's effort, Jedrzejczyk's heartbreak and more
