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#5. Israel Adesanya (c) vs Yoel Romero - UFC Middleweight Championship
Round 1: Following the epic Women's Strawweight title fight, the crowd was spoiled. Yoel Romero went forward and stood still without moving. Israel Adesanya stayed right outside, thinking about what he needs to do. It took them over two minutes before they even started throwing properly.
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Israel Adesanya started to seek the space for his strikes but Romero landed a swift and hard counter that seemed to bother the Champion's eye. They kept their distance before Romero hit a jumping kick to the body. Adesanya grazed his leg with a kick and the round ended.
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Round 2: Israel Adesanya landed a shot but Yoel Romero landed a huge counter. Adesanya missed a couple of kicks and continued to stay on the outside cautiously while looking for his range. Israel Adesanya threw the head kick which appeared to be blocked. Romero burst with his explosive pressure but Adesanya managed to get out of the situation quickly. Romero threw a feint and Adesanya evaded a couple of more shots.
Round 3: The Champion started with a body kick. Romero moved back and he ducked under a high kick before rolling out of his way. Romero had a leg kick checked and Adesanya started to mix it up and evaded a shot by snapping his head back. Adesanya began to try and get the rhythm of the fight and utilizing a front body kick.
Romero started to eat a few more kicks, including one to the face. Romero pushed forward with a punch but Israel Adesanya was dictating the pace of the fight. He got a glancing head kick to seemingly win him the round.
Round 4: Romero began to push forward but Israel Adesanya didn't allow that for long. Romero was unorthodox with his defense and Adesanya kept circling to prevent any major traps. There was a break in the action due to an eye poke from Adesanya.
The doctor came in to check on Romero and things resumed quickly. Romero shot with an aggressive takedown but Adesanya immediately got up and it was back on the feet. Adesanya kept utilizing the outer leg kick and Romero kept jumping. Romero seemed to have a tougher time closing the distance and Adesanya made his leg wobble with a powerful kick. Adesanya blocked another takedown attempt and The Soldier of God nearly landed a powerful punch but missed.
Round 5: Yoel Romero attempted to go after Adesanya and clinched before the Champion escaped. Romero was unsuccessful in every takedown attempt and tried to salvage the final minutes. Romero's aggression saw Adesanya push right back and escape. Adesanya almost landed a kick and he went after him with leg kicks. Adesanya and Yoel Romero had their most explosive and intense moment at the very end and once the buzzer rang, the two had to be separated.
Result: Israel Adesanya def. Yoel Romero by unanimous decision to retain the UFC Middleweight Championship (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
After the fight, Yoel Romero slammed Israel Adesanya for not trading and giving fans the fight that they paid for. It wasn't the fight that people expected or wanted but at the highest level, fighters have to play it safe to secure the win.
