UFC 276 saw Israel Adesanya, of Nigeria, successfully reclaim his middleweight belt from former champion Jose Aldo.
It was another impressive performance from the “Last Stylebender,” as he is affectionately known, as he defeated Jared Cannonier in Las Vegas early Sunday morning.
Adesanya now has a record of 23 wins and 1 loss in his professional career.
Cannonier, despite his best efforts, was unable to break through the Nigerian’s striking and takedown defense.
Unanimous Decision victory (49–46, 49–46, 50–45) for Adesanya in the fifth round ensured he retained his IBF middleweight title after five rounds.
Adesanya praised Cannonier’s team, saying, “They had a fantastic game plan. When it came to my follow-ups, I had a lot of trouble.
Adesanya now has a UFC middleweight championship winning streak of 12, second only to Anderson Silva’s 13-fight unbeaten run (13-0).
Adesanya has reclaimed the middleweight title after losing to Martin Vettori and Robert Whittaker in his first two fights back in 2021.
Adesanya has shown an interest in taking on Alex Pereira following his most recent victory.
Kickboxing legend Pereira was in action just before Israel Adesanya entered the Octagon, and he knocked out Sean Strickland with a first-round submission.
A fight between Israel Adesanya and Pereira would be a treat for fans of mixed martial arts.