Israel Adesanya has defended his middleweight belt against one of the most-feared contenders at 185 pounds in Yoel Romero.
Coming off an emphatic seven fight-winning streak, Adesanya put his middleweight title on the line at UFC 248 opposite the Cuban fighter.
The ‘Last Stylebender’ unified the titles in 2019, when he knocked out then-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a titanic clash in Australia.
While there are some who are against the match-up, Adesanya welcomed the opportunity to fight Romero as he aims to become the first middleweight to ‘stop him properly.’
The reigning middleweight champ has also dismissed any concern about his health amid speculations he is dealing with some issues going into the main event fight.
“No concerns. I’m gonna fight and I’m gonna whoop his ass in the weekend,” he assured.
For Romero, he is out to prove he deserves the title shot despite coming off back-to-back losses last year.
Despite being the betting underdog, ‘The Soldier of God’ is positive about his chances against Adesanya and he is also seeking for a finish.
He is expected to utilize his wrestling and dirty boxing to try to pull off an upset at the T-mobile Arena.
“Everything is possible in your life when you believe. You have two hands like me. Everything is possible. Go and take it. Whatever you want to do.”
What was expected as an all-out war turned out to be a ‘boring’ title fight as the pair failed to match the intensity and actions from their co-main event stars.
Adesanya, though, did enough to score a unanimous decision win and stretched his winning streak to eight fights.
“It was a hard fight, but cliche, I did what I had to do. The legs don’t lie. I fucked his legs up,” the champ said after the victory.
Here are some of the highlights from the main event fight:
Take a look at UFC 248 fight results below (via MMA Fighting):
Main Card
Israel Adesanya def. Yoel Romero via unanimous decision – for the middleweight championship
Weili Zhang def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk via split decision – for the strawweight championship
Neil Magny def. Li Jingliang via unanimous decision
Alex Oliveira def. Max Griffin via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Undercard
Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez via TKO (strikes) (R1, 2:02)
Mark Madsen def. Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbek Safarov via sub (arm-triangle choke) (R1, 2:58)
Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 2:13)
Giga Chikadze def. Jamall Emmers via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti via KO (punches) (R1, 3:01)
Emily Whitmire vs. Polyana Viana – fight canceled
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ UFC)