LAS VEGAS – Boos met Israel Adesanya on the final horn and decision-reading, but fan opinions don’t determine the final outcome.
In the UFC 276 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) defeated Jared Cannonier (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) by unanimous decision, earning official scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45 in his favor.
The first two rounds set the tone. Adesanya remained patient, much like in his fight against Yoel Romero at UFC 248. Cannonier tried to initiate the action, unable to mount much offense. Meanwhile, the small things Adesanya did were successful.
In Round 2, an inadvertent eye poke led to a timeout and referee examination. Cannonier wiped his eye with a wet cloth and gave the thumbs up. There was some gamesmanship at the end of the frame, as Adesanya finger-wagged his opponent after a love tap to the midsection by Cannonier after the horn.
From Round 3 to Round 5, Cannonier found an increasing amount of success. However, it wasn’t enough in the eyes of the judges. Cannonier found success in control against the fence, but no damage mounted. In the final round, Cannonier went for broke and landed some good punches, but Adesanya returned. The final bell sounded and the boos rained down.
With the victory, Adesanya defends his title successfully for the fifth time and wins his third fight in a row. He also sets up a third combat sports fight against longtime rival Alex Pereira, who knocked out Sean Strickland earlier on the main card.
There's only one man @Stylebender wants next – and that's Alex Pereira 😤 #UFC276 pic.twitter.com/iFNbXt7hdE
— UFC (@ufc) July 3, 2022
As for Cannonier, his two-fight winning streak is snapped. Before UFC 276, Cannonier defeated Kevlin Gastelum and Derek Brunson in succession to earn his first shot at UFC gold.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 276 results include:
- Israel Adesanya def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
- Alexander Volkanovski def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Alex Pereira def. Sean Strickland via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:36
- Bryan Barberena def. Robbie Lawler via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:47
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Sean O’Malley declared no contest (inadvertent eye poke) – Round 2, 3:09
- Jalin Turner def. Brad Riddell via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:45
- Jim Miller def. Donald Cerrone via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:32
- Ian Garry def. Gabe Green via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Brad Tavares via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andre Muniz def. Uriah Hall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Maycee Barber def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Julija Stoliarenko def. Jessica-Rose Clark via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:42
