Highlights! ‘Last Stylebender’ Kicks His Way To First Title Defense

Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

Israel Adesanya may not have delivered fireworks last night (Sat., Mar. 7, 2020) at UFC 248 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but he still managed to outpoint Yoel Romero via unanimous decision to cash in on his first defense of the UFC middleweight title.

Romero covered up his face with his hands and didn’t move for the first 45 seconds of action. Both men struggled to throw much of anything as the crowd started to get restless. Romero did land a nice jumping kick to the body. In the second, Romero landed a massive counter left that rocked the champ. Adesanya collected himself and started to connect with kicks in bunches from the outside. “Last Stylebender” added a stiff jab to end the round.

The third round saw Adesanya continue to attack with his legs, nearly connecting on a powerful high kick. Romero kept trying to time his power punches but left himself open to be hit and Adesanya certainly took advantage. In the fourth frame, Adesanya caved in Romero’s leg with a whipping kick. The champion even started to find a home for his jab while still mixing in more leg strikes. After a break following an eye poke to Romero, “Solider of God” rushed in and tried to take Adesanya’s head off. Adesanya avoided any real damage and eventually went back to his leg kicks.

The fifth round saw Romero narrowly clip Adesanya with a big right hand. Adesanya remained calm and kept busy to the challenger’s lead leg. Romero tried for a desperate takedown but “Last Stylebender” powered his way out. Adesanya needed more defense once Romero pressed forward for a fight-ending shot. It didn’t come, as Adesanya slid out of danger to land more kicks to the body and legs.

Check out the video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

For complete UFC 248 results and coverage click here.