Israel Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision to retain his UFC middleweight championship in their rematch Saturday night in the main event of UFC 271 at Toyota Center.
The judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for Adesanya.
Adesanya (22-1), 32, made the fourth defense of his title, which he won by beating Whittaker via second-round knockout at UFC 243 in October 2019. He remains undefeated in his career at middleweight, with his only loss coming at light heavyweight in a UFC title fight against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 last March.
Adesanya controlled the opening round, dropping Whittaker with a straight left hand and connecting often with kicks to the leg and body.
Whittaker tried to take the fight to the ground in Round 2, changing levels after an exchange and scoring a takedown, but Adesanya was quickly able to bring the fight back to the feet. Though it was…
