Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya knocked out Robert Whittaker in the second round to become the middleweight world champion.
Whittaker was fighting for the first time in 18 months having battled a string of injuries since his win over Yoel Romero in their rematch.
Adesanya had shot to prominence in recent months with a string of victories, culminating in a win over Kelvin Gastelum.
That crowned him the interim champion in Whittaker’s absence and last night he converted it to the full title.
He take his record to 17-0 and is now firmly established as one of the biggest stars in the sport.
