UFC 271: Adesanya beats Whittaker via unanimous decision to retain crown

Israel Adesanya of Nigeria kicks Robert Whittaker of Australia in their middleweight championship fight during UFC 271 at Toyota Center on February 12, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Carmen Mandato / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Israel Adesanya, on Saturday night in Houston, Texas (early Sunday in Nigeria) successfully defended his middleweight title against Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271, winning the bout by unanimous decision.

In what was a rematch of their first fight two-and-a-half years ago, Adesanya’s ability to control distance, counter strike and defensive wrestle were too much for his Australian-born challenger to overcome as The Last Stylebender took his UFC record to 22-1.

Adesanya took the belt from Whittaker to kick off his title reign at 185 pounds, and the Nigerian has now added the man affectionately known as Bobby Knuckles to the list of challengers who have failed to take his crown.

With the win over Whittaker, Adesanya now has one or more wins against everyone in the top five of the middleweight division outside of Jared Cannonier.

The win is also Adesanya’s eleventh consecutive victory as a middleweight in the UFC, only two behind the record set by UFC legend Anderson Silva, as the Last Stylebender continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest to ever step foot in the Octagon.

In truth, Whittaker, whose UFC record now drops to 23–6, performed better this time around than in their first meeting, and indeed got better through the fight, but four out of those five rounds belonged to Adesanya as he landed some outrageously effective outside leg kicks, and never found himself in any real danger.

Adesanya took the early lead in the