Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and former titleholder Robert Whittaker headlined UFC 271 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday.
The two had previously fought at UFC 243 in October 2019 where Adesanya dethroned Whittaker by finishing “The Reaper” in the second round. On Saturday, the fight went the distance and was razor-close.
Adesanya came out landing leg kicks and making Whittaker miss. He landed a right hand that knocked Whittaker down, but the former titleholder immediately bounced back to his feet.
Whittaker made adjustments in the second frame and began connecting with his left hand. He also mixed in takedown attempts. While unable to keep Adesanya grounded, Whittaker was able to get him down.
In the third and fourth frames, Whittaker continued to utilized the strategy that gave him success in round 2. Adesanya continued to land leg kicks, but neither fighter was clearly ahead on the scorecards heading into the final round.
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In the fifth round, Whittaker was able to close the distance and tie Adesanya up. Adesanya circled free and went back to throwing kicks. Outside of the opening round, each of the other rounds were extremely difficult to score. The judges rendered their verdict with two judges scoring the fight 48-47 and one judges scoring the fight 49-46, all for Adesanya by unanimous decision.
“I’m the champ. If you want it, come and get it,” Adesanya said following the fight.
Israel Adesanya decisions Robert Whittaker in UFC 271 main event