5 most explosive moments from UFC 271: Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2
Despite not being the strongest pay-per-view line-up on paper, fans still had high hopes for UFC 271 and, for the most part, it delivered.
Sure, UFC 271 was short on violent finishes, with a total of eight fights going the distance, but there was still enough on tap to make the event memorable.
So, with this in mind, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC 271: Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2.
#5. Renato Moicano takes full advantage of his late notice UFC main card spot
Earlier in the week, Alexander Hernandez was vocally angry about not being positioned on UFC 271’s main card and, to be honest, his complaints made sense.
He was one of the few Texas natives in action last night. Furthermore, his fight with Renato Moicano sounded better, on paper at least, than the bantamweight tilt between Kyler Phillips and Marcelo Rojo that was initially pegged for a main card slot.
In the end, the UFC changed things up and moved Hernandez vs. Moicano into the higher slot. Unfortunately, it was the Brazilian, not ‘The Great Ape’, who took full advantage of the larger spotlight.
After losing the first round, Moicano began to press forward more to begin the second and, eventually, the approach worked. He hurt Hernandez with a combination, sending him stumbling into the fence. From there, he took him down, took his back, and moments later, slapped on a fight-ending rear-naked choke.
This was a genuinely excellent performance from Moicano. Not only did he come from behind to win, he also defeated an opponent who seemed – on paper at least – to be a tricky match for him.
More to the point, the victory means that his record since moving to 155lbs in 2020 stands at 3-1, with his only loss coming to the highly rated Rafael Fiziev. Essentially, if he’s given the opportunity, he’s an explosive finisher on the ground, and this was more proof of that ability.