LAS VEGAS - In a clinical if not stunning performance, Israel Adesanya outlasted Jared Kannonier in a unanimous decision to retain the middleweight title in Saturday night's UFC 276 main event at the T-Mobile Arena.
The referees scored the match 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45.
Adesanya's batting superiority was evident throughout the match. Kanoneer didn't land anything of real significance as Adesanya pinned him in place and hit his opponent with punches, kicks to the body and legs.
The crowd remained restless without any exciting action, especially in the fourth round which was marked by fans hoisting lighted smartphones. But Cannonier did nothing to push Adesanya, the former kickboxing champion, into something like a penalty shootout. Meanwhile, Adesanya was so happy to land safely at such a distance that Kanonair could not match.
Adesanya outperformed Cannonier 163-141 in combat, including Edge 116-90 in big shots. Referees Derek Cleary and Junichiro Kamijou gave Kanonair a third role, but that was it. Judge Sal D'Amato had swept Adesanya in all five rounds.
"They had a great game plan," Adesanya said, referring to Cannonier coach, John Crouch. “It was really hard to keep up with the subscribers.”
Upon entry, ESPN ranked Adesanya at number three in the world in pound-for-pound list. At middleweight, Adesanya took first while Cannonier finished third.
Alex Pereira could be next for Adesanya, who knocked out Shawn Strickland in the last card on Saturday. Pereira beat Adesanya twice in kickboxing, once by knockout.
"The first time I told you it was a mistake on my part to send spam to the right hand," Adesanya said, addressing his comments to Pereira. “It was kickboxing.
"Next time I hit you, you'll be on skis and freezing like Elsa. I'll leave it at that."
During his post-match press conference, Pereira criticized Adesanya for his performance, saying that he was a disappointment to the fans.
"Hopefully, when we fight, he will have a better fight than this one," Pereira said.
Adesanya admitted that he received a "dismissal", realizing this fact during the actual match.
"Maybe when I can't find my strength," he said. "Kicks, snatches, kicks, kicks on my leg were working. But I couldn't find my strength."
Adesanya (23-1) is undefeated at 185 pounds, with a UFC 12-0 record in that weight class. The Nigerian-born New Zealander was coming out with a unanimous victory over challenger Robert Whitaker at UFC 271 in February.
Adesanya, 32, has five successful middleweight defenses after joining the belt with Whittaker in 2019. Adesanya's only MMA heavyweight loss for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship came against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 in March 2019. 2021. Three in a row since That defeat.
Adesanya is the fourth fighter in UFC history to win 12 fights in a single weight class, joining welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva and former title holder Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Cannonier (15-6) had won twice in a row and five of the previous six recorded. The Arizona resident was eliminated by a second-round knockout by Derek Bronson at UFC 271. Cannoner, 38, finished the fights with three weights. People: heavy, light and medium. His only average weight loss came before Saturday against Whitaker in 2020.
The main event featured WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, along with his daughter Stephanie, the interim CEO, and her husband, retired WWE wrestler and current CEO Paul "Triple H" Levesque. WWE President Nick Kahn and color commentator Pat McAfee, a former NFL player, were near the cage.
They've seen Adesanya come out as WWE legend The Undertaker, but they haven't seen the most exciting matches. He kept the Adesanya Cannonier in place, and the Cannon had little chance of getting as far as the Adesanya for blows or takedowns. Cannoner tried to capture the excitement in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds with little success.
"I will not risk my health, I will risk my health," Adesanya said. "I mean, yes. But I wouldn't do it stupidly, just to entertain drunk people."
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