It was much more competitive this time around, but Israel Adesanya once again prevailed over the man he defeated to win his title in 2019, Robert Whittaker.
Adesanya won a hard-fought unanimous decision over Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271, reaffirming his dominance over the middleweight division and his place as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The 32-year-old champ already knows his presumptive next title challenger, as the UFC booked a high-level contenders’ match two fights earlier. However, there were three other winners on Saturday’s main card, and all of them need a next opponent.