Israel Adesanya kept hold of his UFC Middleweight title against Yoel Romero (Credit: UFC)
UFC 248 ended in a controversial fashion with the main event between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero not ending as many would have wanted.
Fans were excited ahead of this clash as both men had talked the talked during the press conference.
Adesanya came into the fight with no losses in his MMA career while Romero is one of the hardest men in the UFC.
The fans in the stadium were also treated to an excellent Women’s Strawweight title fight just before that.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk fought Zhang Weili in a gruelling fight and the bout went top five rounds. Both women gave it their all and ended up a bloody mess. Zhang held onto her title and this was seen as the appetiser for an incredible fight.
As the first round started, the fans were dealt a major shock. Adesanya moved towards Romero but the Cuban decided to just guard up and stood in place.
He didn’t move or attack Adesanya, basically asking the champion to make the first move.
The champion didn’t take the bait and landed a few kicks and punches during the first five minutes with Romero also doing the same.
This got the crowd worked up and they started booing the fight. This went on for a couple of rounds too and the referee was heard telling the pair to do something for the judges to score.
The fourth and fifth rounds weren’t much different though. Adesanya targetted Romero’s legs while the Cuban tried to catch the champion off guard.
There were some underhand tactics from both fighters on display, and this wasn’t something that the fans would have wanted.
As the final round ended, it was Adesanya that came out on top and he even flashed the middle finger to the camera as the boos rained in.
However, he did have the right comments after the match. The Nigerian/New Zealand star has always adapted and he did the same to keep hold of the title.
Romero, for his part, claimed that it was Adesanya’s prerogative to start the bout, but being the challenger, he should have done something too.
The crowd backed Romero but the Cuban also deserves half of the blame for not getting this clash started.
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It isn’t the first time someone has defended his title in this manner, but it certainly isn’t a fight to be proud of.
Adesanya retains the title, but this win isn’t one that he can celebrate.
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