Israel Adesanya put on an incredible performance at the second UFC pay-per-view event of the year to beat Robert Whittaker and retain his middleweight title. His display drew in reactions from combat stars all over. Some names that reacted to his unanimous decision victory at UFC 271 were Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Khamzat Chimaev, and Francis Ngannou.
I got it 3-2 Izzy, but I could see a judge giving 3 rounds to Whittaker for sure!
— Funky (@Benaskren) February 13, 2022
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“I got it 3-2 Izzy, but I could see a judge giving 3 rounds to Whittaker for sure!” Ben ‘Funky’ Askren had his game on point.
Still, the one ;). #UFC271
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) February 13, 2022
“Still, the one ;). #UFC271,” former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz reminded the world that he is still the only one to defeat Adesanya in MMA.
AND STILL 🏆🇳🇬 @stylebender #3Kings 🤴🏿🤴🏿🤴🏿🌍
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) February 13, 2022
“AND STILL 🏆🇳🇬 @stylebender #3Kings 🤴🏿🤴🏿🤴🏿🌍,” the UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou congratulated his African brother on the win.
Whittaker took 3,4,5 #UFC271
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) February 13, 2022
“Whittaker took 3,4,5 #UFC271,” Justin ‘The Highlight Reel’ Gaethje had a different opinion.
@stylebender easy money for me, 0 wrestling. 1 round I’m gonna kill him🤪
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) February 13, 2022
“@stylebender easy money for me, 0 wrestling. 1 round I’m gonna kill him🤪,” Khamzat ‘The Lone Wolf’ Chimaev pointed out the holes in Adesanya’s game.
Damn!! Incredible to see Izzy only breathing thru his nose midway thru 4th. Not even sitting down between rounds. Discipline. Control.
Both these guys. #UFC271— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 13, 2022
“Damn!! Incredible to see Izzy only breathing thru his nose midway thru 4th. Not even sitting down between rounds. Discipline. Control. Both these guys. #UFC271,” ‘The Rock’ saluted both the middleweight for their professionalism.
Now, as Whittaker is out of the picture, many fans speculated that Marvin Vettori or Paulo Costa might be the pick to take on ‘Stylebender’ next, or maybe even Sean Strickland. However, Adesanya has already made his pick for his next opponent.
Israel Adesanya calls out Jared Cannonier
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38-year-old Jared Cannonier put on a spectacular performance against the younger Derek Brunson and defeated him via knockout at UFC 271. They had a slow start to their match, but ‘Killa Gorilla’ put Brunson on the mat in the second round and blasted him with his elbows.
Adesanya, in his post-fight interview, also acknowledged Cannonier for his performance and called him out to fight for the title. ‘Stylebender’ also had a date for the match, as he pointed out the absence of a UFC PPV in June and volunteered to fix that by headlining the fight card.
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WATCH THIS STORY-Five Times Israel Adesanya Obliterated His Opponents Inside The UFC Octagon
Is Jared Cannonier the perfect fight for Adesanya, or should Sean Strickland get a chance? Let us know in the comments below.