Someone wants another crack at Israel Adesanya.
Robert Whittaker likely cemented himself as the No. 1 contender for Adesanya’s undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over divisional upstart Jared Cannonier in the UFC 254 co-main event on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. All three judges scored it 29-28 for the former 185-pound champion.
Cannonier zeroed in on the New Zealand-born Aussie’s legs with repeated kicks—in fact, they accounted for nearly half of the significant strikes he landed—and made a concerted effort to weaken his base.