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Robert Whittaker of Australia punches Jared Cannonier in his middleweight fight during UFC 254 on Fight Island.
Robert Whittaker may have won a rematch against Israel Adesanya, but he’s not asking for it yet.
Whittaker (22-5) delivered an active and disciplined performance with impressive punches to earn a solid unanimous decision over middleweight contender Jared Cannonier on Sunday for his second straight UFC win since losing his title to Adesanya in late 2019. .
Culminating his effort by taking down Cannonier with a combination midway through the final round in their UFC 254 fight, Whittaker won two of three rounds on each scorecard as he outscored Cannonier (13-5), who suffered his first loss at almost 2 1/2 years.
Whittaker likely earned the chance for a rematch with superstar Kiwi Adesanya with the win, but he didn’t call out the champion after their fight, expressing only excitement about returning home to put up his family’s Christmas tree. Whittaker pulled out of a fight with Cannonier scheduled for March in Las Vegas because he felt drained in MMA.
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“I am very happy that everything is over,” Whittaker said. “ We got the result we wanted. The job is done, honey. I am coming home.”
UFC 254 was the last of five shows in a month within the safe promotion bubble on Yas Island. The UFC, which halted competition just eight weeks before the coronavirus pandemic, returns to its hometown next week to begin a series of at least five consecutive shows at its corporate campus in Las Vegas.
