Israel's takedown defense is ridiculous. Props to both of them for the respect at the end.

Rob's performance reminds of Khabib saying this in Mojahed videos, "Jab,Jab.Little bit takedown." Hope to see Rob vs Vettori next.

Robs reaction to the decision was heartbreaking

Why did the commentators keep saying they think he broke his hand? He holds his hand like that in almost every fight, if I know this surely they do

Almost reminds me of DC vs Jones. both truly elite but Izzy's freakish length/reach is so tough for Whittaker to get past.

Izzy biggest attribute is his ability to keep distance .He was able to used his long reach to his advantage so much so that whittaker had to rely on his jab .From the first fight whittaker learn that he cannot over do it with hook and overhand as Izzy knows how to feint and followed it with a check hook .Izzy maintains the distance with his long range kick which also force Robert to step in .But due to the significant reach advantage Whittaker cannot land a clean shot as much as he would and even hesitate to throw any combo because of izzy precision counter .Overall tHis match was Izzy making the best out of his reach advantage and whittaker trying to find gaps and spaced it was a very well calculated fight from both fighters.

Izzy is a great fighter. He is the best striker in MMA, has tremendous movement, cardio, and insane speed. He knocked out Whittaker and costa in less than 10 mins. He can fight either stance, an ability that not many fighters have.

Izzy is not eazy to takedown The fight was really close but the Last Stylebender got the job done at the end.

That fight was close but listening to Bisping you would think that Rob was actually getting murdered lmao

Does anyone else notice that the three African Champions just had their cloest fight against the for sure second best guy in their division. Also on all three of their scorecards it read 48-47,48-47, and 49-46. Interesting to say the least.

This guy is top notch....you really should be 120% prepared to fight him.

Since Adesanya was knocked out by Pereira, he learned to keep his distance and not getting caught up in a mindless fist fight.

Reminiscent of DC, Covington. Rob is so clearly the 2nd best guy in the division but he's in the Adesanya era like those guys were in the Jones, Usman era's.

Damn… You can see the emotion within Rob.

One of the most accurate thing he said is that people tend to think he ain't got it until they step into the cage with him.

I was going for Rob, but Izzy won that fight. It was close but the whole while I thought Izzy won. I thought Whittaker for sure won round 5 and Izzy won round 1. The rest could of gone either way but I would lean adesanya. I think 3 rounds to 2 is fair. It’s always been a bad stylistic matchup for Whittaker.

Crazy how much taller izzy is then Cormier with shoes on 😂

Man I wish Rogan was there instead of Bisbing idk if it was just me but he was hatin on Rob all fight

Real close fight was a very tactical chess match. It was a Snooze fest for the average fan but a great fight for the hardcores. Glad Izzy got it done but this still isn’t the end of their chapter they’ll be fighting again.

Izzy's reach is phenomenal and those leg kicks too,wow just a great fighter.

Mike Belthram gave the 5th round to Izzy. What a circus

Wow, Izzy Takedown and submission defenses are crazily good. Close fight but better man won

Izzy got taken down several times but literally popped up right away. So that’s where people are lost. Also this was a very technical fight.

Izzy just good Respect to both Nice fight Congratulations to Alagidi😍

“I’m the new dog in the yard” veteran acting like a rookie, different kind of mindset

I don’t understand the robbery narrative going around. Izzy landed more shots at a higher clip, scored a knockdown, either defended every takedown or got right back up and he controlled the range holding the centre of the octagon for the whole fight. Whittaker landed a few nice jabs but Izzy ate up his legs and comfortably won 3 rounds, and there’s definitely an argument to say he took 4. He’ll be disappointed with another decision, but Rob is a beast too and deserves credit for being so tight and leaving very few openings for Izzy. Credit to both guys, hopefully someday we’ll see a trilogy fight.

Biggest changer imo was those calf kicks. He could've just lit that up 10 more times and Rob was done. Great fight from both!

Damn, this fight was close. Props to Whittaker tho, he gave as good as he got. He totally stepped up his game. But I'm definitely glad Izzy took the W..

49-46 was a no no.

"Judges should be held accountable" -MMA Community in 2070

I don't know why but I miss Romero, he marked them both while loosing. He should have been a champ.

AND STILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL THE STYLEBENDER

This was very close fight that can't be defined but still Izzy has that champion's secret weapon that he can use to win.

Stupid judges, especially the one that gave Adesanya a 49-46 decision... It was a close fight. But gotta appreciate Adesanya for being an active champion that wants to fight often...

Congratulations Bro🤗 To God be the Glory. Much love from 🇨🇲 Proud of your performance our Brother from 🇳🇬🙏🏾

Great fighters , two warrior's , and that respect to each other , great fight . @Ufc

I am so sick of those biased commentary like it's 50 - 45 for Izzy when it's 48 - 47 which closer than that

Izzy is amazing, Rob came with defensive, strike to setup take down strategy to win by points but Izzy is so ready, powerful, offensive with an incredible reactive takes down defence. I’m disappointed Rob came with such a points heavy style to win but I also understand Rob could not win any other way so credit to Rob but Izzy is the Best, an absolutely amazing fighter

You just see the frustration in Rob Whittaker's face when "AND STILL" is being called out 😭

the pain in rob's eyes says it all. worked so hard yet fell short once again.

I have just seen the match and I will certainly look at it in the next few days to have a more in-depth technical analysis since I think that at the first viewing of a match it is not always clear how the rounds went. From my point of view, the first 3 rounds are undeniable who won (1 and 3 round Adesanya and 2 Whittaker), the difficult part to analyze in my opinion are the 4 and 5 rounds. On the one hand, Adesanya was super active with leg kicks and denied Robert some takedowns, but what else did he do? Whittaker in both 4 and 5 rounds got 1 takedown and controlled him a bit on the ground (he didn't control Izzy that much to be fair, but it still was a bit); however, a very complicated match, and technically difficult to analyze. Izzy's performance left a bitter taste in my mouth for how he had spoken in the days before the match and so I was expecting perhaps slightly more, but still, he must be recognized as having solid preparation! From Robert what about ... how can you not love him ... respectable man, super noble and super nice and definitely the best middleweight along with Izzy. I hope they will play the third match to conclude the trilogy !!

It wasn't a robbery; immediate damage > takedowns, grappling is counted over striking only if there is damage or a submission threat.

Great event,best of the year so far all fights were amazing from start to finish

Congratulations brother.....from phillipines

Rob arguably took the fight against a fighter with a 7 inch reach and full or steroids . No discussion of Izzys PED use. Robert is the people’s champ much love to the Reaper

Great show of class between them, it’s really refreshing to see the UFC return to its position as the best sport in the world and leave the WWE trash talk and drama behind in most cases. No one talked trash like Mac, I’m happy that many great matchups are still happening without all the rivalry. I was hoping Whitaker was going to make his come back, but without a doubt Izzy is just too good. Will I be surprised if his weight class becomes the style bender dynasty until he retires? No. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t maintain his strangle hold on the division, even more so than Anderson Silvas reign before him. Regardless of your opinion on Izzy (and I have a few negative opinions about him) a Izzy fight is ALWAYS entertaining to see. He’s a great star, and a even better competitor. Congratulations to both men, but especially IZZYs title defense. You have to be great to win a UFC title, but you must be a legend to keep it. We’ll see him in the hall of fame soon. What talent.

I bet the guy with the 5 inch height and 7 inch reach advantage who’s game is pull counting shorter fighters would win…shockingly I was correct..I bet against him when he fought Jan because I knew he couldn’t use that gameplan, I was correct then too.

My two cents, Rob closed the gap skill wise. The reaper was better prepared this time around and didn't repeat the mistakes he made the last time. He had his moments, but Izzy has got the speed, that insane length and frame for the division, and most of all he's got the fight IQ to use em to their maximum potential. The entire fight Rob was having trouble dealing with those factors and besides the wrestling (which was already a given to just stand a chance with the stylebender, no pun intended) Rob had no new weapons to bring to the table besides an improved version of his skill set and a better jab. Not looking to trigger anyone here, just putting my thoughts out there, take it as you will

Izzy was pretty much walking him down the whole fight, the takedowns weren’t too substantial as Izzy sprang back up every time. Rob never let the right hand go, while Izzy was using all his limbs. You could tell Izzy was the better fighter tonight. Edit: Izzy also led in sig. strikes every round lol. Was a very close and tactical fight, but you gotta take a couple more risks to snatch that strap.

0:20 Dam, Rob thought he really had it.

People don’t like Israel’s style because he’s smart. He knows he has the reach so he walks the opponent where he wants and if they attack he defends and counters. His defense is insane

How many legends you can bring in one sport MMA - yes

If he had started confident he would have brought it even closer. I think he can match Izzy and i never thought

What else can Rob do here, he looked like he just wanted to go the 5 rounds tbh. Your not going to outpoint or outthink Adesanya in there, i see people saying he should have gone all out but he already tried that and got slept?

00:48 1:59 DC really doesn't want to touch him :))

Izzy is so aware of himself thoughts words and actions at a times. Impressive.

Besides the knockdown in the first round, which was more like a push knockdown (it didn't land flush on the chin, more like the neck and bounced of the chest) Izzy didn't connect that much besides leg kicks (which were mostly checked or avoided by Rob). I thought Rob landed the more powerful shots on Izzy and also he took him down at least 4 times in the fight. In my opinion Rob won that fight or at least it should've been a draw , so that they can run it back, but Rob didn't deserve to lose that fight. It was shocking how biased the commentary was, but the audience knew who won that fight, that's why they booed Izzy at the end. The world has gone mad.

Idk whos with me but man Bisping is a🤡, dude talking like Izzy was destroying Rob the entire fight. Izzy won for sure but Rob had his moments and it was a pretty close fight, it wasnt a one sided beatdown at all but Bisping made it sound like it was!

I swear I’ve seen Joe in the Thumbnail Interviewing Izzy haha

dana was trolling everyone looking at whittaker before he put the belt around izzy's waist

I can't wait to see DC and Mike Tyson together on the Superbowl companion

This guy is a good athlete.... He has good magnetism to avoid shots from opponents & strong🦵🦶 legs

i was in the crowd and you can hear all the crown go "NEWWWWWWW!" - close fight

Fell asleep as it was on at half 5 in the morning UK time... I tried to stay awake but couldn't even manage it to the Lewis fight lol .. wish these times could fit with everyone but just too many different time zones.. iv not even seen the fight yet waiting for the video to upload.. happy adesanya won but gutted at the same time for Bobby .

Such a bizarre fight honestly. Neither guy let there hands go a ton. Izzy is so patient & won't force things so when guys play the slow game it creates fights like this.

I had it 3,4,5 Rob. Just fire Cormier and Bisping from commentary.

Takedown defence was beautiful to watch

Full crowd booing Izzy DC "YOU ARE A STAR MAN PEOPLE COME OUT TO SEE YOU"

Izzy is like mayweather in a way that he is a cerebral fighter. The fans want to see a guy that throws and fire but you need to understand the skill level it takes to manage distance, draw attacks and picks off the opponent. Izzy will touch you like mayweather does. Just appreciate this level of striking hes the champ for a reason

The judge that scored it 49-46 is outta his mind bruh

I love ufc 271 card so much, that I totally forgot it.

Wow that's an amazing championship fight to Da end, Robert put it out their gave it his best kept coming for izzy, izzy that's why he is Da champion of da world, 👍Beautiful movement avoiding strikes countering right back with a 1,2 strike leg kicks. But da end of da fight wonderful respect for each other. GOOD JOB IZZY AND ROBERT.

People are getting tired of Izzy now just like with Jon Jones 🤣...let's go Champ🇳🇬🏆💯🔥

Man the way Whittaker had his eyes closed and then the disappointment in his face was insane 😪❤❤ Much respect to both fighters

Rob and izzy are so obviously the 2 best a middleweight, no doubt theyll meet again.

Wow he delivers every time. Date and time for the next fight. Yes this is why he got a new deal

Izzy takedown defense is underrated.

As Joe Rogan said, Izzy is the most calculated striker in the UFC. That, plus crazy takedown defense.

Robert whitteker really man!!! He's a very tough guy

Such a great chess game to see. Reminds me of Nnganou V Gane, Volkanovski v Holloway, it’s #1 v #2 and anyone can win on any given day with any given strategy. I LOVE MMA

Props to both the fighters. A technical and close fight but right decision by the judges. The best man won. Izzy is here to stay

Got a feeling Izzy & Whittaker are gon meet again, this fight was too close to be the end between these two!

He's the king of his division no douth..next Is cannonier I think so..but thing is that izzy would bit him easy..cannonier is strong bt not fast as izzy.

Adesanya has so much class. Love how he gave Rob credit. you can't help but love him. Timeless legend 🐐

I developed goosebumps watching those kicks landing 😢😢they were so hurting

Regardless of which side both of these men are monsters.

The last style bender needs a marvel movie

This man reach makes him a freak of nature kinda reminds of Jon Jones back in the day.

Those faints were consistent Glad he won

great fighter,very intriguing to watch and study from,and still!

Israel really gives me anderson silva vibes every time he fights.

Remember they used to say this guy was the one to beat Jones at 205 lol

These kind of great fights deserve trilogies, much like Alexander/Max Halloway.

Just came here for the comments. so many professional fighters giving their opinions on what each fighter needed to do. ESPN needs to hire the comments section for play by play commentary.

They are clearly heads above the rest of the division. High stakes fight

I was at the fight and the whole stadium were screaming Ad-e-san-ya. At the end the whole stadium thought Rob won, hence the massive boo. As we weren't influenced by bad commentary with bbc lover Bisping. Feel for Robbed Whittaker

Was anyone counting the strikes landed 😂😂

Rob did great but Izzy is just too technical, he lands a few jabs moves away then a leg kick comes outta nowhere, he’s unpredictable, you know he’s gonna do leg kicks and maintain a distance but you can’t really figure out his pattern, also the way he switches his stance constantly doesn’t help, you really can’t prepare a specific game plan against Izzy you gotta mix it up constantly

Was that Reggie from wwe at the very end in izzys corner 🤔

They should have Izzy-Robby, Volk-Max, and Usman-Colby all in one card, and the theme of that card should be "Leave No Doubt"