Israel Adesanya beats Jared Cannonier to defend UFC middleweight title

 

Israel Adesanya beats Jared Cannonier to defend the UFC middleweight title 

Israel Adesanya has defended his world middleweight UFC title for the fifth time.

The ‘Last Stylebender’ from Auckland’s City Kickboxing Gym beat American rival Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 in Las Vegas on Sunday. Adesanya triumphed by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) in a fight that went the five-round 25-minute distance.

Adesanya’s victory preserved the 32-year-old champion’s unbeaten record in his favoured weight division and took his overall UFC record to 23 wins and one defeat (in a light heavyweight contest).

Cannonier – a 38-year-old from Dallas, Texas, dubbed ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’, now has 15 wins and six defeats