Michael Chandler Not Impressed By Israel Adesanya’s Performance at UFC 271
While Michael Chandler wasn’t a fan, Israel Adesanya entered the octagon ready for war but actually participated in what was a very technical and methodical chess match against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271.
The first round featured a lot of excitement with Adesanya dropping Whittaker, but thereafter it was very technical and slower-paced. Both men traded careful combos on the feet, and it was very close. “The Last Stylebender” had more striking success especially with his leg kicks, but Whittaker implemented his grappling beautifully to achieve takedowns although he couldn’t keep Adesanya down for long. Universally, the fifth and last round was “The Reaper’s” strongest but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges.
Adesanya would be named the victor via unanimous decision and the chaos would soon ensue. With Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier being accused of “bias”, and fighters chiming in with their opinion of what the scorecards should’ve read, or the fight as a whole. Chief among them was none other than Michael Chandler.
Michael Chandler Speaks on UFC 271
“Trust me, I love Izzy. But we have gotten to a point where a dominant champ just needs to stand there, throw a few shots per round and he will not lose unless he gets caught&he will always get the nod. Izzy got paid on this last contract…go FIGHT, don’t you dare spar. #UFC271” Michael Chandler said on Twitter.
Does he have a point? A prime example of this that people would point to would be Jon Jones and some of his title defenses, specifically the first Alexander Gustaffson fight and more recently his battle with Dominick Reyes. Both of these decisions by the judges’ were received terribly by fans, with the majority claiming the challenger should’ve been awarded the victory.
Another independent example of this would be the Georges St. Pierre vs Johnny Hendrix fight. After a close battle that Hendrix seemed to edge out, the decision went to GSP, at the outrage of seemingly everyone.
Do you think that what Michael Chandler said has some validity, and how did you score Adesanya vs Whittaker? Leave your comments below!
