Israel Adesanya has once again proven that he is a force to reckon in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after defeating Middleweight Champion titleholder, Robert Whittaker, in a stunning UFC 243 bout on Saturday in Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia.
Adesanya, 30, surprised Whittaker, 28, with a second-round knockout to emerge the undisputed Middleweight Champion.
It was a back-and-forth first round for both fighters but Adesanya landed at a better percentage. Whittaker however shined early in the second round with heavy punches before Adesanya launched a right hook counter that hurt the Australian and drew blood from his face.
The stunner came few seconds to the end of the second round when Adesanya came back with a huge left hook counter, sending his opponent to the canvass. He rushed in for nasty ground-and-pound bombardment which became the stopper as the UFC world-record crowd of 57,127 watched on.
“Hats off to Adesanya, a great striker,” Whittaker said. “I felt I was doing pretty well until you get caught. I’m only 28. I’ve still got a fight or two yet … I’m not going anywhere.”
It was the 28-year-old’s first fight since June 2018 in Chicago. Though a fight was planned for February but he withdrew due to emergency bowel surgery.
“He threw everything we expected,” Adesanya said. “We had everything planned for plan A to Z. It’s unreal, they said I have no knockout power. He caught me with a nice one but I returned. I eat it but give it back two times. I hate to get hit. It’s stupid to get hit. I’m tough and smart. At the end of the day, my team and I were smart.”
Adesanya has now won all his MMA fights and lost none (18-0). He got his present title after just seven fights in UFC, all within two years.
For Whittaker, its his first loss in 10 bouts and in more than five years, with his MMA record dropping to 20-5.