Sean “Tarzan” Strickland (28-5-0) is the new undisputed UFC middleweight champion of the world after defeating Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya (24-3-0) via unanimous decision Saturday night in the main event of UFC 287.
Strickland, 32, stuck to a solid gameplan throughout the entire fight and it was good enough for all three judges to score the contest 49-46 in his favor. The American fighter was ecstatic in the final seconds of the bout, but remained calm, cool and collected for most of the five rounds.
Adesanya, 34, survived the first knock down of his career when Strickland rocked him with a right fist at the end of the opening round.
Strickland kept Adesanya on the retreat the entire fight, but was ultra conservative when it came to swinging. He didn’t even throw a kick all night.
Adesanya continued to move around the octagon in search of his spots and only won the second round due to activity.
Sean Strickland without a scratch
Still, Adesanya focused more on leg kicks and did not manage to hurt Strickland, who on the other hand drew blood from his opponent.
Adesanya’s face was bloodied and swollen, and even looked to be laboring a bit when breathing.
Like in his past losses, Adesanya was gracious in defeat, showing Strickland respect despite the American punching him after the final bell.
A rematch between the two is most likely in the horizon, though Adesanya might need a longer rest than he’s used to, especially considering this has been his worst UFC performance.