At UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Israel Adesanya easily retained his bantamweight title due to his superiority over Jared Cannonier.
Adesanya dominated each of the five rounds; he didn’t come up against anyone who gave him trouble. Cannonier made no attempt because he was unsure of how to approach the champion. The fight saw little action, and at its conclusion, the spectators booed both fighters harshly.
To keep his opponent at a distance, Adesanya made effective use of the length of his arms. The Nigerian did not rush and struck Cannonier in the legs and abdomen with kicks. The African dominated the first round.
Adesanya was the one who came out much more aggressively in the second round; he pursued his opponent for the first few minutes of the episode. Simply put, Cannonier did not have the time to throw any punches.
The bout’s best moment came when Cannonier attempted to knock Adesanya to the ground. He connected with a right jab while trying to do so, but the Nigerian was able to hold his own and keep the fight on the feet.
To the judges we go – drop your scorecards 👇 #UFC276 pic.twitter.com/odcglciyRz
— UFC (@ufc) July 3, 2022
The fourth and fifth rounds did not change much; Adesanya kept his opponent at a good distance, played it safe, and largely used kicks to keep his opponent at bay. Cannonier left a lot to be desired since he lacked a thirst for victory and a burning desire to advance with vehemence. He also kept on the edge of things.
Israel Adesanya was declared the winner by the judges’ final scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45.
