UFC 271: Middleweight King Adesanya Navigates Past Whittaker

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The paths of the two best middleweights on the planet converged once again in Houston as Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker ran it back for all the marbles at 185 pounds. Although the former champion would put up a much stronger showing over the course of a highly technical five round affair, the outcome would be the same: Stylebender left that building as middleweight champion of the world.

There was no steamrolling through the Aussie this time round though as Whittaker adapted a more conservative approach to try and draw out counters from his adversary. Adesanya was made to work and think on his feet for the entire 25 minutes before retaining his title - with his next opponent likely waiting in the wings, by the name of Jared Cannonier who scored a devastating stoppage over Derek Brunson earlier in the card.

A jaw-dropping co-main event saw "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa propel into the stratosphere when he flatlined Derrick Lewis.

Green schools the new school

Bobby Green def. Nasrat Haqparast via uannimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

35-year-old Bobby Green looked as good as he has ever been when he out-boxed and outwitted Nasrat Haqparast for three rounds. The young Afghan-German fighter came forward with aggression and tried to close down Green, but opportunities came few and far between as the veteran bobbed and weaved his way through the 15 minutes, busting up his opponent with blistering hand speed and sharp straight shots. It marks a second straight win for Green who is somehow still transcending after all these years.

Moicano traps Hernandez in unbreakable clutches

Renato Moicano def. Alexander Hernandez via submission (rear-naked choke), round 2 (1:23)

An all-action fight for the six-and-a-half minutes it lasted, Renato Moicano hurt and then submitted Alexander Hernandez with his patented rear-naked choke. Hernandez came out all guns ablaze by throwing plenty of kicks but Moicano soon gained controlled and secured two takedowns in the opening round. Hernandez came on strong to end the first but was clocked by a brilliant counter right hand from the Brazilian. Hernandez would be badly hurt in the second round and dived at the legs, opening himself for ground-and-pound before Moicano was able to lock in the choke and finish the job.

Killa Gorilla smashes his way to #1 contender spot

Jared Cannonier def. Derek Brunson via TKO (elbows and punches), round 2 (4:29)

Jared Cannonier punched his ticket for a shot at the world middleweight championship, rallying back from a difficult first round to brutally stop Derek Brunson.

Brunson could not have asked for a better opening round, biding his time as Cannonier plodded forward looking to land with power. He eventually landed a big takedown and controlled his opponent for a few moments before proceeding to do the same thing. Any time The Killa Gorilla loaded up on his shots Brunson was there to dive straight at the hips. Then, in the final seconds of the round, he dropped Cannonier with a right hook as he rushed in, pursuing a rear-naked choke on the ground as time expired.

The UFC veteran was quick to revert back to that approach with an early takedown in the second, but then the wheels would fall off. Cannonier caught him with a powerful punch and ultimately Brunson would never recover. He was lunging in recklessly and getting caught, and then a lethal elbow followed by a backfist was the beginning of the end. Down went Brunson and what followed were some brutal elbows on the ground as the referee stopped the fight.

Shoey's galore as Bam Bam rocks Houston

Tai Tuivasa def. Derrick Lewis via KO (elbow), round 1 (1:40)

"Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa propelled himself into the upper echelon of the heavyweight division with a jaw-dropping second-round knockout of divisional stalwart Derrick Lewis.

Tuivasa initiated the clinch early in the first round and paid for it, as the leader for most knockouts in UFC history reversed well and wound up landing two takedowns in the round - the second of which was followed with some brutal ground-and-pound that forced Bam Bam to quickly get back to his feet and fire some artillery back in that direction. Things were certainly warming up.

Lewis buzzed the Aussie with a right-hook-left-hook combination that forced him to retreat and cover up, and following some stalling in the clinch Tuivasa would again be rocked, this time by a huge overhand right. Biting down on the mouthpiece, or "stand and bang" as they say, Tuivasa landed some shots of his own and managed to back Lewis up against the fence, detonating a massive right hand. Soon after, he found the mark with a wicked elbow that sent Lewis face down to the canvas in one of the most stunning knockouts in heavyweight history.

Checkmate for the middleweight king

Israel Adesanya def. Robert Whittaker via unaninimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

Israel Adesanya continued his run of dominance in the middleweight division as he got the better of a valiant Robert Whittaker in a highly technical rematch.

Whittaker cut a dejected figure as he retreated back to his corner at the end of the first round with flashbacks of that disastrous night in Melbourne almost certainly reverberating around the mind of the former champion. Adesanya chopped away at his lead leg dwarfing the handful of similar attacks by his opponent, punctuating a strong start with a well-timed straight left that dropped The Reaper. Whittaker did well to shake off the cobwebs and maintain his composure, but would be further disheartened when the champion thwarted two takedown attempts at ease.

The Aussie did well to adjust and steady the ship, enjoying his first pockets of success in the second stanza. He began to find the mark h the left hand, sometimes jabbing his way into range, however continued to eat kicks to his left leg which was becoming increasingly reddened after each thumping strike from Stylebender. The dangers remained omnipresent for Whittaker who ate a counter uppercut well as he rushed in, before executing an explosive double leg takedown on the champion. He dragged himself towards the fence and soon worked his way up before breaking and finished the road with more leg kicks to add to the tally.

Plenty of jabs found the mark for the challenger however the attacks were sporadic as Adesanya stifled his opponent with kicks to the body and the leg. The champion was looking to crack his rival with lean back counters greeted with a collective gasp anytime one of his hooks whizzed past the dome of Whittaker. The first takedown attempt of the round from the ex-champion was sprawled easily, before he managed to take Adesanya down and get on his back, only for the silky New Zealand native to work his way towards the fence and eventually get him off. Whittaker's attempts to mix it up had made for a closer fight but he still was lacking a sustained period of success to swing fortunes in his favour.

In the championship rounds came perhaps the most dramatic moment of the fight when Whittaker landed a blast double and managed to back mount Adesanya as he tried to quickly scramble back up. Whittaker had the body triangle in and was close to synching in the rear-naked choke, but the champion kept composed and gracefully fought off the hands before sliding away from his opponent's grasp. The jab totals continued to mount for Whittaker who had the greater output in the fourth frame, while Adesanya telegraphed his counters. After a brief period of control against the fence Whittaker punctuated a decent round with a counter right hand, proving that he was still well and truly in the contest.

The impetus was on the contender to strip the belt from his adversary and he approached as so, landing a handful of jabs while occasionally Adesanya would land a kick at the same time. Whittaker supporters were enthused by several moments where the head of the champion was clearly snapped back by one of the straight shots. Following a brief pause for an eye poke, Whittaker landed a huge takedown but once again the silky Adesanya was able to quickly get back to his feet before prying the hands open. This time however he would eat a left hook for his troubles Whittaker went for another takedown in the dying embers of the bout with Izzy getting ready to celebrate in the final seconds.

Scorecards read 48-47, 4-47 and 49-46 in favour of the champion. Adesanya in the first and Whittaker in the fifth were the clearest rounds to score, with the middle portion down to preference amid all the nuances of MMA judging. Whittaker would in hindsight have hoped to step on the gas sooner as he fails to recapture the middleweight belt he lost in devastating fashion over two years ago. 

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