Anthony Joshua & Israel Adesanya accompany Lawrence Okolie to the ring at The O2 for his World Title defence against Michal Cieslak.
Lawrence Okolie was defending his WBO Cruiserweight title against Michal Cieslak. Okoloe aka “The Sauce” decided to produce a standout entrance as he was accompanied by Current UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and former heavyweight boxing world champion Anthony Joshua alongside him.
Lawrence Okolie successfully defended his WBO cruiserweight title by beating Poland’s Michal Cieslak on the judges’ scorecards. It was the first time in Okolie’s professional career that he had gone the entire distance. The fight was scored 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 in Okolie’s favor. The Sauce’s record now stands at 18-0 with an impressive 14 knockouts.
Israel “StyleBender” Adesanya showed his support by holding the Nigerian Flag and walking along side Okolie. Adesanya recently defended his title against former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker – the fight he first won the title all the way back at UFC 243.
The rematch at UFC 271 was all in for a proper mix of striking, grappling & wrestling. The fight was close scoring (48-47, 48-47,49-46) in favor of Adesanya. He is still undefeated with 22 wins in his middleweight career. He has yet to face an equally matched contender for the title.
Jared Cannonier took on Derek Brunson for the No. 2 contender for the Middleweight division the very same night Adesanya defended his title. Cannonier knocked out Brunson in Round 2. With his win over Brunson, Cannonier is now knocking on the doors of a Middleweight title clash.
Israel Adesanya’s Potential Next Fight
Adesanya has been a dominant champion in his current stint with the title. However, The “Killa Gorilla” Jared Cannonier looks like he could pose a threat to his reign.
Cannonier began his career as a heavyweight but eventually moved to the Midleweight division. He has since won five out of his last six fights and could match Adesanya with his similar striking and boxing game.
On the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Adesanya called him out for a pay-per-view event in June or July last year. However UFC President Dana White, has yet to name Jared Cannonier as the next championship candidate.
