Mueez Ajao
– Israel Adesanya outpointed Jared Cannonier over five rounds to retain his middleweight title at UFC 276 in Las Vegas.
– Adesanya, 32, used his superior movement and control of distance to out-strike Cannonier and secure a unanimous decision victory.
– Following the win, the New Zealander called out Alex Pereira, who beat Sean Strickland earlier in the night.
Also Read: UFC championship: Adesanya retains UFC middleweight belt with win over Whittaker
– “We know who’s next. I’ll put him on skates,” said Adesanya.
– The fight has a backstory in that the Brazilian holds two victories over Adesanya in kickboxing before the pair transitioned to MMA.
– In the co-main event, Alexander Volkanovski retained his featherweight title with a unanimous win over Max Holloway.
– The Australian’s slick movement and counter-punching was the difference over five rounds as he beat his American counterpart for a third time, bringing their epic rivalry to a conclusion.
The @Stylebender reigns supreme #AndStill 👑 #UFC276 pic.twitter.com/cN507JFtLL
— UFC (@ufc) July 3, 2022
A 12-0 GOLDEN RUN 🏆
Israel Adesanya remains the UFC Middleweight champ 👑 #UFC276
🎨 @geoffriccio pic.twitter.com/MpqvcTGbuO
— ESPN (@espn) July 3, 2022
– Since Adesanya became middleweight champion in 2019, he has dominated the division, outclassing every type of fighter he has come up against.
– In Cannonier, he faced an opponent who has won five of his past six UFC fights, while displaying ferocious knockout power.
– Despite Cannonier’s run, he was a heavy pre-fight underdog with bookmakers, with Adesanya saying in he saw nothing in the American’s game which he had not faced before.
– The difference between the two was evident from the start.
– While Cannonier jogged to the cage with intensity, Adesanya paid tribute to WWE’s The Undertaker, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, carrying an urn and walking slowly towards the octagon with his head bowed.
– It was more evidence of the showmanship side of Adesanya which has moulded him into one of the UFC’s biggest stars.
– The fight started with the crowd inside the T-Mobile Arena chanting Adesanya’s name as both fighters traded leg kicks.
– As the bout wore on, Adesanya found a home for more of his strikes, landing a series of body kicks and rocking Cannonier with a straight right in the second round.
– Cannonier’s only route to success during the first few rounds were kicks to Adesanya’s legs as the champion successfully avoided most of the challenger’s output.
– During the latter rounds Cannonier resorted to some clinch work, but Adesanya’s excellent takedown defence nullified much of the danger.
– The crowd jeered as the fight reached its conclusion – perhaps frustrated at a lack of explosive moments – as Adesanya navigated a successful points victory.
– Asked about Pereira, Adesanya said: “I like the story. I’ve said this before that my whole life is like a movie.
– “I’m facing the guy who beat me at kickboxing and now he’s chasing me because he knows I’m the king and he wants to take that away from me.
– “You guys see what happens when my back’s against the wall. I look forward to fighting him.”
