Israel Adesanya has defended his world middleweight UFC title for a fifth time.

The ‘Last Stylebender’ from Auckland’s City Kickboxing Gym beat American rival Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 in Las Vegas on Sunday. Adesanya triumphed by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) in a fight that went the five round 25-minute distance.

Adesanya’s victory preserved the 32-year-old champion’s unbeaten record in his favoured weight division and took his overall UFC record to 23 wins and one defeat (in a lightheavyweight contest).

Cannonier – a 38-year-old from Dallas, Texas, dubbed ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’, now has 15 wins and six defeats.