It’s true: [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s unanimous decision victory over Yoel Romero at UFC 248 last Saturday won’t be remembered as the most thrilling main event in UFC history.
But here’s another truth: Every great champion had a fight or two along the way which doesn’t rate among their classics. Anderson Silva is rightfully remembered for his sensational wins over the likes of Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort, but his victories over Patrick Cote and Demian Maia are not often found on his highlight reels.
Likewise, Adesanya didn’t put on a show against Romero in his first defense of the middleweight title. He did, however, put on a smart display when presented with an opponent who seemed mainly interested in covering up and not doing much else. Adesanya adjusted to the unorthodox game plan by peppering Romero with leg kicks and thus found a path to victory.
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With that, Adesanya is 8-0 in the UFC in not much more than two years, and we’re willing to bet he returns to the sort of form he showed in victories over Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker sooner rather than later. So whether you found the Romero fight intriguing or not, he moves up in our men’s pound-for-pound list, taking the No. 6 spot.
No one has claimed a lack of action in the evening’s co-feature bout, as Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk put on one of the greatest fights in UFC history, with Weili eking out a split decision to retain her strawweight belt. As it turns out, though, even with such spectacular performances, neither competitor moves.
In the case of Weili, she stays at No. 4 in women’s P4P, where she’ll likely stay until someone ahead of her falls. As for Jedrzejczyk, would you really drop her after putting on such a fierce showing? She remains at No. 9 on the overall list after her tremendous showing in defeat.
There was plenty more worth pondering at UFC 238. So to find out where you favorite fighter falls in the current USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, click on the drop-down menu at the top of the page.
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