While it wasn’t a performance to remember, Israel
Adesanya remains the class of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division by a
significant margin.
Adesanya retained his 185-pound belt with an efficient performance
in the
UFC 276 headliner, earning a unanimous decision triumph over
Jared
Cannonier at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The
City Kickboxing representative received scorecards of 49-46,
49-46 and 50-45 from the cageside judges to secure his fifth
successful title defense.
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“The Last Stylebender” was tactical throughout, using a stiff left
jab and kicks to various levels to keep Cannonier at bay. While
Adesanya never truly had his opponent in danger, Cannonier spent
much of the bout frozen in front of the Nigerian-born Kiwi,
struggling to close the distance. Cannonier did increase his sense
of urgency down the stretch, as he initiated the clinch on multiple
occasions, landed offense in close quarters, and occasionally
blitzed forward with power-punching combinations. However, those
moments were not frequent enough to make a dent in Adesanya’s
considerable lead on the scorecards.
In his post-fight interview, Adesanya looked ahead to future fight
with former kickboxing rival Alex
Pereira, who scored a massive knockout of Sean
Strickland earlier on the main card.
Volkanovski Improves to 3-0 Against Holloway
Alexander
Volkanovski fought like someone who wanted closure.
The City Kickboxing standout crafted a nearly flawless performance
in the UFC 276 co-main event, improving to 3-0 against Max
Holloway with a unanimous decision triumph in their
featherweight championship trilogy. It was a clean sweep of the
scorecards for the 33-year-old Aussie: 50-45, 50-45 and 50-45.
Volkanovski has been victorious in his last 22 professional
appearances, a streak that dates back to Dec. 14, 2013.
The third meeting lacked the suspense of the previous two bouts, as
Volkanovski (25-1, 12-0 UFC) maintained a clear advantage in
virtually all aspects of the fight. The reigning champion was
quicker than his Hawaiian opponent, landing multi-punch
combinations to the head while exhibiting deft footwork and head
movement. Volkanovski got stronger as the bout progressed, and the
tone of the bout seemed to shift for good in Round 2, when counter
right hand opened a cut over Holloway’s eye that would continue to
leak for the rest of the fight.
When he wasn’t tagging Holloway (23-7, 19-7 UFC) with punches to
the head, Volkanovski also had success landing elbows in the clinch
and whipping low kicks. To his credit, Holloway continued to push
forward until the final horn, but his trademark volume was never
evident against his defensively sound adversary. After the final
decision was announced, Volkanovski reiterated his desire to test
his mettle in the lightweight division.
“I want to move up to be double champ and keep two divisions busy,”
he said. “If I get both belts, I’ll keep them both busy, let’s
go.”
Pereira Starches Strickland
Sean
Strickland played with fire, and Alex
Pereira made him pay.
The former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion sent a message to
the middleweight division, scoring a massive knockout victory 2:36
into Round 1, potentially propelling the Brazilian into a title
shot. Strickland sees a six-bout winning streak snapped in
defeat.
Strickland (25-4, 12-4 UFC) was content to stand and trade with
Pereira (6-1, 3-0 UFC), as he marched forward and did his best to
pressure his foe with straight punches. That approach proved costly
when “Poatan” connected with a clean left hook to the chin that
dropped Strickland to one knee. Pereira then sealed his victory by
sending his adversary tumbling to the canvas with two more accurate
right hands. It was Strickland’s first KO defeat since May 12,
2018.
Barberena Volume Overwhelms Lawler
Bryan
Barberena withstood heavy fire from Robbie
Lawler to rally for a technical knockout victory in a classic
welterweight brawl. A barrage of heavy punches against the fence
caused Lawler to wilt 4:47 into Round 2, giving Barberena three
consecutive victories within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Lawler,
meanwhile, has lost five of his last six UFC bouts.
The fight turned out to be every bit the slugfest it was billed to
be. Both men traded willingly in the pocket throughout the contest,
with Lawler (29-16, 1 NC, 14-10 UFC) holding the edge in impactful
strikes and Barberena (18-8, 9-6 UFC) connecting with greater
volume in the early going. Lawler made his foe stumble backward
with several stiff right jabs in Round 2, but that success proved
to be fleeting. Barberena turned the tide with a right hook to the
chin and he increased his output from there, keeping Lawler on his
heels with punching combinations and deadly standing elbows. A
final salvo of heavy power punches forced referee Mark Smith to
step in on behalf of the reeling Lawler late in Round 2.
Eye Poke Results in No Contest for O’Malley-Munhoz
Sean O’Malley’s step up in competition ended in anticlimactic
fashion, as his bantamweight clash with Pedro
Munhoz was ruled a no contest due to an accidental eye poke.
Munhoz was rendered unable to continue at the 3:09 mark of Round 2,
when the bout was called off on the advice of the cageside
doctor.
Munhoz (19-7, 10-7, 2 NC UFC) had a clear game plan in mind,
attacking his younger foe with a steady diet of low kicks
throughout the fight. O’Malley (15-1, 7-1, 1 NC UFC), meanwhile,
was tactical in his approach, as he controlled the range by
blending long, straight punches with the occasional flashy kick.
Neither fighter appeared to have gained a clear advantage when
O’Malley’s finger found the eye of an advancing Munhoz in the
second frame. Munhoz is now winless in his last three Octagon
appearances.
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