Just 18 months after making his UFC debut, the New Zealand kickboxer by way of Nigeria completed his breathtaking ascent to stardom, as he clobbered Robert Whittaker to claim the undisputed UFC middleweight championship on Saturday night.
In front of a big crowd at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who entered the bout as interim champion, knocked out Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at the 3:33 mark of the second round to unify the title.
"He threw everything we expected. We had everything planned from Plan A to Z," Adesanya said. "It's unreal. They said I have no knockout power."
Whittaker, who hadn't fought since June 2018, came out loading up his shots, catching Adesanya several times over the course of the first round with jabs, hooks and overhands. As the round progressed, though, you could see Adesanya figure out his range and begin to strike back. Adesanya saved his best for last as he dropped Whittaker to the mat with a count-right that landed flush on the jaw a split second before the horn sounded to end Round 1.
In the second, Adesanya took control. Whittaker still threw bombs, but Adesanya effortlessly slipped them, and then responded with crisp counter combinations.
It was one of those combos that spelled the end. Whittaker landed flush on the face with a straight shot, but Adesanya, in the blink of an eye, landed a counter right, and then the big blow, a left on the jaw that knocked out Whittaker and ended the bout.
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