Who’s next for Adesanya and Tuivasa, and a satisfying goodbye for the ‘Happy Warrior’

Israel Adesanya continued his dominance over the UFC’s middleweight division with another convincing win over Robert Whittaker in Houston, Texas at UFC 271. Adesanya stifled Whittaker’s offense in the rematch affair to earn his fourth successful title defense. With Whittaker finally removed from the title picture, who will get the next shot at Adesanya’s title?

Could it be Jared Cannonier who impressed with a big win over Derek Brunson, and then called out Dana White to book the fight with him and Adesanya this summer. Could Tai Tuivasa also be getting a title shot? His highlight reel knockout over the hometown favorite Derrick Lewis made for a thrilling co-main event, and of course the shoeys continued for the rising star from Australia. In fact, the region of Oceania held it down in Houston, with the Aussies and Kiwis (from New Zealand) securing five big wins at UFC 271.

But it may have been a loss that was the most defining moment on Saturday as Roxanne Modafferi said goodbye to the sport. After nearly 50 fights, the “Happy Warrior” fought her heart out and placed her gloves in the center of the Octagon.

Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim, Sam Bruce and Carlos Contreras Legaspi react to a big night in Texas.

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Who’s next for Adesanya: Jared Cannonier. The man did his job. And he’s been doing his job — his resume speaks for itself — but he also needed to do something impressive on Saturday to solidify his case. That knockout win over Derek Brunson did the trick.

It was a highlight finish, a violent finish. He also did great on the mic afterward, demanding the shot from Dana White. He’s 5-1 in his last six bouts, with the only loss coming to the unquestionably second-best middleweight in the world in Robert Whittaker. Adesanya vs. Cannonier, book it.

Who’s next for Whittaker: He’s in a tough spot. Losing to the same champion twice can be a bit of a death sentence for future title shots,…