Adesanya's knockout of Whittaker earns 'Performance of the Night' award for Nigerian after UFC 243

I. Adesanya after victory in UFC 243. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc_brasil

Taking the belt home after crashing Robert whittaker No. UFC 243, held this Saturday (5), in Australia, would already be a good size to Israel adesanya. However, the athlete achieved more. After delivering a devastating knockout to the host and winning in the fight to unify the middleweight title (up to 83,9kg), the Nigerian, together with yorgan de castro He was also awarded the 'Performance of the Night' bonus. In addition to payment for the victory, the fighter received another US$50 (around R$203). The 'Best Fight' award was given to Brad Riddell and Jimmie Mullarkey, who faced each other on the preliminary card.

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Even though he is a very self-confident athlete, one has to wonder if Adesanya's best dreams would have been such a perfect night. The fighter, who managed to absorb all the pressure from the now former middleweight champion, Robert whittaker, put on a real show for the audience present in the arena, in addition to the spectators of the UFC 243.

Concentrated and sharp with his strikes, Israel needed just two rounds to guarantee superiority over his opponent and establish himself as absolute champion of the category that was once reigned by Anderson Silva.

Another fighter who performed on the other side of the world was yorgan de castro. The heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg.), perhaps even has more reasons to smile than the Nigerian. Yorgan, this weekend, made his debut for the organization and, right away, managed to score a beautiful knockout over justin tafa in the first round. Still in the octagon, the athlete, very emotional, asked for a performance bonus and was helped by the organization.

This Saturday, De Castro had just his sixth fight in his undefeated professional career and leaves Australia with a full pocket.

The most exciting duel of the night didn't happen on the main card, as often happens. At the UFC 243, those responsible for promoting the most exciting fight of the night were scheduled on the preliminary card; more specifically in the fourth performance of the night. In this ocasion, Brad Riddell and Jimmie Mullarkey brought the audience to their feet in a breathtaking battle.

The fight was contested in the lightweight category (up to 70,3kg), which today is dominated by Khabib Nurmagomedov. After three rounds, Riddell was declared the winner with a unanimous decision by the judges. The two fighters leave the card with US$50 each.