Israel Adesanya delivered the biggest win of his career to date, and possibly lined himself up for an even bigger fight in the near future.
Adesanya unified the UFC middleweight titles with a stunning second round finish of Robert Whittaker Saturday night at UFC 243. The card took place from Melbourne, Australia and the Marvel Arena, airing live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
It has been an eventful 2019 for the unbeaten Adesanya, as he also holds wins over former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Kelvin Gastelum since this past February in addition to this finish vs. Whittaker. With this victory, he might have just solidified himself as the 2019 Fighter of the Year.
Naija stand up! HE’S DONE IT!@Stylebender finishes Whittaker in the 2nd round! Wow! #UFC243 pic.twitter.com/IS1f8lL8Lt
— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2019
Related: Dana White Likes Idea Of Jon Jones Vs. Israel Adesanya
Whittaker suffered his first defeat in 10 fights, a run that included wins over Yoel Romero and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker Post-Fight Interviews
Dan Hooker had a strong showing in the co-main event, as the New Zealand native topped Al Iaquinta via decision. Hooker is now on a two-fight win streak and is 6-1 over his last eight appearances.
Dan Hooker Post-Fight Interview
In a heavyweight contest, Sergey Spivak earned a technical submission via arm-triangle choke on Tai Tuivasa, as the end of the bout came in the second round. Dhiego Lima won via split decision over Luke Jumeau and Yorgan de Castro kicked off the main card with a first round knockout of Justin Tafa in heavyweight action.
The prelims, which aired on ESPN2, featured Jake Matthews downing Rostem Akman, Callan Potter besting Maki Pitolo, Brad Riddell earning a decision vs. Jamie Mullarkey and Megan Anderson submitting Zarah Fairn dos Santos.
Megan Anderson Post-Fight Interview
In addition to the televised fights, just two bouts ended up airing on UFC Fight Pass. Both, however, were finishes, with Ji Yeon Kim stopping Nadia Kassem via strikes and Khalid Taha submitting Bruno Gustavo Aparecido da Silva.
UFC 243: Whittaker Vs. Gastelum Results
Israel Adesanya def. Robert Whittaker via KO (strike) at 3:33 of Round 2 to become undisputed UFC middleweight champion
Dan Hooker def. Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Sergey Spivak def. Tai Tuivasa via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:14 of Round 2
Dhiego Lima def. Luke Jumeau via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Yorgan de Castro def. Justin Tafa via KO (strikes) at 2:10 of Round 1
Jake Matthews def. Rostem Akman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Callan Potter def. Maki Pitolo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Brad Riddell def. Jamie Mullarkey via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Megan Anderson def. Zarah Fairn dos Santos via submission (triangle choke) at 3:57 of Round 1
Ji Yeon Kim def. Nadia Kassem via TKO (strikes) at 4:59 of Round 2
Khalid Taha def. Bruno Gustavo Aparecido da Silva via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:00 of Round 3