Israel Adesanya Defends Middleweight Title Against Yoel Romero

Israel Adesanya successfully defended his mixed martial art middleweight title in his fight against Cuban Yoel Romero on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, Nevada, Las Vegas.

Adesanya could not get a knockout against the hefty Cuban fighter who proved to be very resilient in every way against the Nigerian-born fighter but yet won in a unanimous vote by 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 and maintained his undefeated run (19-0-0).

Romero, 42, was such a dangerous fight and was able to land a left-handed hook on the New Zealander who later responded with his foot and left a bruised the hulky Cuban's face. Hence, Israel maintained a considerable distance from Romero until the end of the fight.

Yoel Romero landed a left-handed hook on Israel Adesanya's face

Romero's inability to get close to Israel for a punch or a kick got him very frustrated by the end of the fight and in anticipation of victory raised his hand up and yelled at the Nigerian at the end of the fight.

"Look at his leg. I f***ed his leg up. I took his best shot in the first round and that was the best he landed on me," Israel said. "As long as the judges didn't list to the crowd, I was fine. I touched him up."

There was a bit of frustration on the crowds' side from the third round and could be heard yelling "boring" and raising their phones up calling for more contacts between the fighters.