Tag: UFC 271

Israel Adesanya Shares What He Told Whittaker Directly After Rematch

UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya had a message for Robert Whittaker just seconds after their rematch at UFC 271. Adesanya and Whittaker went five full rounds this time around in their second battle in the Octagon. The two went toe-to-toe on the feet and ground, but Adesanya was seen as more active throughout the fight….

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UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya had a message for Robert Whittaker just seconds after their rematch at UFC 271.

Adesanya and Whittaker went five full rounds this time around in their second battle in the Octagon. The two went toe-to-toe on the feet and ground, but Adesanya was seen as more active throughout the fight.

Adesanya defeated Whittaker the first time around at UFC 243 with a vicious knockout. He has emerged as one of the UFC’s biggest stars since earning the belt.

Israel Adesanya
Image Credit: Carmen Mandato/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Following their rematch, Adesanya and Whittaker shared a brief moment in the cage. The two appeared to bury the hatchet of their rivalry and show mutual respect for one another.

During his UFC 271 post-fight press conference, Adesanya revealed the content of his conversation with Whittaker as the fifth round came to a close.

“I said, you know, ‘I don’t like you, you don’t like me, but I respect you,’” Adesanya said. “And he said the same thing and ‘I’m sure in another life we could be friends.’ And I said ‘maybe.’ But yeah, we’re just two guys trying to be the best in the world. But tonight I’m the best in the world.”

Adesanya will more than likely face Jared Cannonier next after Cannonier knocked out Brunson just a couple of fights before the Whittaker rematch. He has been a target of Adesanya’s for months, and Adesanya has praised him as the dark horse of the division.

Outside of Cannonier, there aren’t a ton of first-time title challengers waiting for a shot. There is Sean Strickland, who recently earned a unanimous decision win over Jack Hermansson, but he may need to win one more to earn a shot at Adesanya.

As for Whittaker, he’ll need to win a few more to have any hope of earning a third fight with Adesanya. While their rematch was close and competitive, it’s hard to see a scenario in which these two go to battle for a third time without Whittaker going on a torrid streak.

What are your thoughts on Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier next?

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Shares What He Told Whittaker Directly After Rematch at MMA News.

UFC 271 Bonuses: Tai Tuivasa Earns Performance Check For KO Win

The UFC 271 bonuses have been released. The event took place in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center. Headlining the card was a clash between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker for the middleweight title. This fight saw the first round feature Israel knocking him down with a straight left hand, but Whittaker sat down then…

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The UFC 271 bonuses have been released.

The event took place in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center. Headlining the card was a clash between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker for the middleweight title. This fight saw the first round feature Israel knocking him down with a straight left hand, but Whittaker sat down then got right back up. Whittaker did make some takedown attempts, but wasn’t successful. 

The second round saw Whittaker get a takedown, but couldn’t keep him on the ground. Whittaker was more aggressive in this round. Whittaker did get a takedown in the third round, but  he couldn’t keep him there. Whittaker clinched with him up against the fence. In the fourth round, Whittaker got a takedown, but Izzy was right back up so Whittaker took his back and Izzy eventually escaped. Whittaker got a takedown after a level change mid-way through the fifth round. Izzy back to his feet and they did some clinch work. Whittaker landed a solid shot out of the break. The judges gave the win to Adesanya, who retained the strap. 

The co-main event saw more action between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa. The first round was interesting as Tai was constantly looking to clinch while Lewis took him down a few different times, but never was able to keep him down. When Lewis had him up against the fence, he smashed him a few times in the face before Tai fired up and they had a fun exchange. 

It all ended in the third round. Lewis started off strong by stunning him, but failed on a takedown attempt. Lewis rushed in and got clipped with a left hook that hurt him. Tai with a series of shots then dropped with him with a right elbow. 

Peep the full list of performance bonus winners below.

Performance of the Night: Tai Tuivasa and Jared Cannonier

Fight of the Night: Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov

Were the right choices made for the UFC 271 bonuses?

UFC 271 Results & Highlights: Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker

MMA News is providing ongoing coverage of UFC 271. We’ve got you covered with live results, video highlights, and post-fight tidbits.

Continue Reading UFC 271 Bonuses: Tai Tuivasa Earns Performance Check For KO Win at MMA News.

Dana White Confirms Jared Cannonier Is Next For Israel Adesanya After UFC 271

Jared Cannonier, Israel AdesanyaUFC president Dana White has confirmed that top middleweight contender Jared Cannonier will get the next title shot against Israel Adesanya. Cannonier continued his rise up the middleweight rankings with a vicious knockout of Derek Brunson at UFC 271. After struggling with Brunson’s wrestling early in the fight, he found his rhythm in the second […]

Jared Cannonier, Israel Adesanya

UFC president Dana White has confirmed that top middleweight contender Jared Cannonier will get the next title shot against Israel Adesanya.

Cannonier continued his rise up the middleweight rankings with a vicious knockout of Derek Brunson at UFC 271. After struggling with Brunson’s wrestling early in the fight, he found his rhythm in the second and landed a flurry of strikes that finished Brunson.

Cannonier has now won two in a row and five of his last six bouts. Entering UFC 271, he earned a lopsided win over Kelvin Gastelum last August. Cannonier also earned finishes over the likes of Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson en route to the title conversation.

The fight with Brunson was billed as a No. 1 contender fight, but nothing was certain regarding the next middleweight title bout. During his UFC 271 post-fight press conference, White affirmed that Cannonier will get the next shot at Adesanya.

Dana White Confirms Jared Cannonier/Israel Adesanya Is Next

“I was excited to see that fight to see how it played out,” White said. “It was an exciting fight. And yeah, I’m not going to say no to Cannonier.”

Adesanya escaped with another win over Whittaker at UFC 271, earning a unanimous decision victory. It was a much more competitive fight from beginning to end, and some believed that Whittaker even did enough to earn the win on the scorecards.

Cannonier has solidified himself as the No. 1 middleweight contender to face Adesanya later this year. During his post-fight interview, Adesanya hinted at a potential return in June, at the earliest.

For now, Cannonier will take some time off to celebrate the biggest win of his UFC tenure. He’ll look to shock the world later this year when he finally gets his shot at an elusive UFC title.

What is your early prediction for Jared Cannonier vs. Israel Adesanya?

7 Takeaways from UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2

UFC 271 featured a middleweight title fight that had Israel Adesanya retain his title and another middleweight put himself next in line. Also, a warrior hung up her gloves and some heavyweights shook things up in Texas in the co-main event that made the pay-per-view fun enough. There was a lot to take away from…

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UFC 271 featured a middleweight title fight that had Israel Adesanya retain his title and another middleweight put himself next in line. Also, a warrior hung up her gloves and some heavyweights shook things up in Texas in the co-main event that made the pay-per-view fun enough.

There was a lot to take away from UFC 271, here are some things that stood out. 

Contracts

On Wednesday of fight week, many of the UFC regularly reporting entities had mentioned that before the fight, Israel Adesanya’s management had announced that he renewed his contract with the UFC for another multi-fight deal. Considering that he had yet to defend the title at the time and signed his end of the deal to face Whittaker the same week is either proof that fighters are getting more leverage, or his management is one of the best for athletes in MMA.

One Fight Scrapped, One Goes up a Weight Class

During weigh-ins Friday morning there were some updates announced for UFC 271. William Knight came in 12 pounds over the contracted weight against his bout with Max Grishin. As a result, Knight had to forfeit 40% of his purse and the two will fight as heavyweights officially. Then, Alex Perez also missed weight as well and his match against Matt Schnell was canceled. 

No Rogan

You might have missed it, but Joe Rogan has been in the news a lot in recent weeks. Some of it is due to the guests he has had on his podcast and the conversations they had about COVID-19, and most recently for footage of him using a racial slur years ago. ESPN, a company owned by Disney handles the broadcast and sells the UFC pay-per-views. So, on Friday-the day before the event, it was announced that Rogan would not be calling the event.

While it was said that it was due to a “scheduling conflict,” given the current state of media, one has to wonder if that was the case. In the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said he expects Rogan to work again when there are no conflicts that keep him from working.

The Happy Warrior

Roxanne Modafferi fought her last fight at UFC 271. She lost a split decision to Kasey O’Neill and while the judging of the fight was questionable, the heart of Modafferi has never left any doubt. Good luck to you and whatever you do in the future.

Jared Connonier Secures His Spot Amongst Middleweights

With the win he picked up at UFC 271 over Derrick Brunson, Cannonier made sure Dana White’s attention was on him in the cage in his post-fight interview when he said he wanted the winner of the main event of UFC 271. It’s hard to argue that he should be next in line for the middleweight crown.

Swangin and Bangin

Both Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa delivered on their promise to put on a show in the co-main event. With minimal clinching and a lot of swinging, fans were not disappointed in the fight these two heavyweights put on. While Lewis impressed with some takedowns in round one, it would be the resilience of Tuivasa in round two that would have him win the striking exchange and catapult himself up the heavyweight rankings.

To Beat The Champ…

Adesanya won his bout against Whittaker but Whittaker did a lot better than the first time they met. So much so, that he even felt he won the latter rounds and did enough to win. Given the odd judging in Modafferi and O’Neill’s fight, it’s no surprise that the result is sure to be a topic of conversation when the UFC updates their rankings on Tuesday. 

There’s obviously more to take away from this event than what is listed here. The match between Adesanya and Connonier is all but booked and with things opening up, Dana White expressed interest in adding more locations to the UFC’s road schedule in 2022. Time will tell but hopefully, things get back to something close to normal.

What did you take away from the event?

Continue Reading 7 Takeaways from UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 at MMA News.

Dana White On Joe Rogan UFC 271 Absence: “He Could’ve Worked Tonight”

Dana White, Joe RoganUFC president Dana White says commentator and controversial podcaster Joe Rogan could’ve worked at UFC 271 and the elected not to. Rogan has been under fire in recent weeks over alleged misinformation on his podcast, along with a viral video compilation that featured him using a racial slur. Rogan has since apologized and will not […]

Dana White, Joe Rogan

UFC president Dana White says commentator and controversial podcaster Joe Rogan could’ve worked at UFC 271 and the elected not to.

Rogan has been under fire in recent weeks over alleged misinformation on his podcast, along with a viral video compilation that featured him using a racial slur. Rogan has since apologized and will not be punished by Spotify or the UFC.

It was originally reported by some media outlets that Rogan’s absence from UFC 271 was due to a “scheduling conflict”. It’s unclear if there was a conflict to begin with or if Rogan chose not to work on his own accord.

During his UFC 271 post-fight press conference, White cleared the air regarding why Rogan wasn’t present on the commentary team.

“There was no conflict of schedule, Joe Rogan didn’t work tonight. Joe Rogan could’ve worked tonight and I don’t know what he had to do, but there was no “Joe couldn’t work”, that was bulls**t. Whenever he’s gonna work again, he’ll be working.”

Rogan has been the voice of the UFC going back decades and has emerged as one of the most prominent personalities in the sport of MMA as a whole. He also hosts the top podcast in the world which is listened to by millions.

But, his large platform hasn’t come without controversy. He’s been criticized for allegedly spreading misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines and other issues regarding the pandemic.

White has defended Rogan on numerous occasions, most recently after he promoted the controversial drug Ivermectin, which he used to treat a bout of COVID-19 despite it not being listed as an authorized treatment by the FDA.

White and Rogan appear to still have a good relationship but it remains unclear what Rogan’s reasoning was behind missing one of the biggest cards of the year.

What were your thoughts on the UFC 271 commentary team without Joe Rogan?

Watch Tai Tuivasa Do A Shoey After Sleeping Derrick Lewis At UFC 271

Tai TuivasaUFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa earned the biggest win of his career at UFC 271 and he wasn’t going to leave the arena without celebrating in his signature style. Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis put on a show in the UFC 271 co-main event. The two heavyweight brawlers threw wild exchanges throughout the fight, but it […]

Tai Tuivasa

UFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa earned the biggest win of his career at UFC 271 and he wasn’t going to leave the arena without celebrating in his signature style.

Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis put on a show in the UFC 271 co-main event. The two heavyweight brawlers threw wild exchanges throughout the fight, but it was Tuivasa that landed the knockout lead elbow that sent Lewis collapsing to the mat.

Tuivasa has emerged as a fan favorite over the past year due to his signature knockouts and post-fight celebrations. He’s well-known for his shoey celebrations in which he drinks beer out of a shoe given to him by a member of the crowd.

Just minutes after Tuivasa reaped the benefits of his incredible knockout win, he celebrated in the best way he knows.

Watch Tai Tuivasa do the shoey with a fan below.

Tuivasa’s win over Lewis was easily the biggest of his UFC career, as he now continues to climb up the ranks in the heavyweight division. He has kept up his positive momentum after three knockouts in 2021 over Augusto Sakai, Greg Hardy, and Harry Hunsucker.

With the loss to Tuivasa, Lewis has now lost back-to-back fights in front of his hometown crowd in Houston, TX. He lost to Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265 last year.

Tuivasa will catapult in the rankings once the new list comes out next week. He entered the fight as the 11th-ranked heavyweight contender and will easily move into the Top-10, and possibly even the Top 6.

Tuivasa made his UFC debut back in 2017 against Rashad Coulter, earning a first-round knockout. He has also earned wins over the likes of former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and Stefan Struve.

Who do you want to see Tai Tuivasa fight next?