UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- 7 hours ago
- 7 min read
Introduction
UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier took place on Saturday, July 2, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was the UFC's annual International Fight Week card, the closing chapter of the three-fight Volkanovski-Holloway featherweight rivalry, and the night Alex Pereira completed his arrival as a top-three middleweight contender. The card produced an estimated 600,000 pay-per-view buys.
Israel Adesanya's fifth UFC middleweight title defense was a clean five-round technical performance against Jared Cannonier, the heavy-handed contender who had earned the shot through a four-fight UFC win streak. Adesanya used his range to control distance, picked at Cannonier's lead leg, and avoided the wild exchanges the challenger needed. Final scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 50-45 — a clear unanimous decision.
The co-main was the most lopsided of the three Volkanovski-Holloway fights. Alexander Volkanovski controlled all five rounds, won 50-45 across all three scorecards, and confirmed his place at the top of the featherweight division for the foreseeable future. Max Holloway's third title-fight loss to Volkanovski effectively closed his featherweight title window.
The featured main-card bout produced the most-discussed middleweight contender bout of 2022. Alex Pereira — the former Glory kickboxing two-division champion who had defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing — stopped Sean Strickland by first-round TKO at 2:36. The win positioned Pereira for the title shot that would come at UFC 281 in November 2022.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, July 2, 2022
📍 Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
👥 Attendance: 20,059 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $8.2 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~600,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Israel Adesanya (c) vs. Jared Cannonier — UFC Middleweight Championship (185 lbs)
✅ Result: Adesanya def. Cannonier via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
🥇 Co-Main: Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Max Holloway via Unanimous Decision (50-45 ×3) — Featherweight Title (trilogy)
The Build-Up
Israel Adesanya entered UFC 276 on a four-fight middleweight title-defense streak after his UFC 271 win over Robert Whittaker. Jared Cannonier had earned the title shot through a 5-1 UFC middleweight run including TKO wins over Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, and Derek Brunson. He was the most powerful striker Adesanya had faced at 185 lbs since Robert Whittaker.
The co-main was the third meeting between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Their first fight at UFC 245 in December 2019 had been the title-winning fight for Volkanovski; their rematch at UFC 251 had been a controversial split-decision win that left many calling for a trilogy. Holloway had spent the intervening 23 months winning four consecutive UFC bouts to earn the rematch; he was the +200 underdog.
The featured main-card bout had personal weight. Alex Pereira had defeated Adesanya twice in Glory kickboxing — a 2016 win by decision and a 2017 KO. He had transitioned to MMA in 2015 and was 5-1 in his UFC career. A win over top-five contender Sean Strickland would position him for an immediate Adesanya title shot.
Main Event: Adesanya vs. Cannonier
Adesanya fought a clean five-round technical performance. He used his range and leg kicks to control distance through rounds one and two, picked at Cannonier's lead leg until the challenger could no longer step forward effectively, and avoided the wild exchanges Cannonier wanted. By the end of round three, the challenger's lead leg was visibly damaged and his striking output was dropping.
Rounds four and five were technical clinics. Adesanya landed combinations from the outside, scored a takedown in round five, and finished the fight with sustained pressure. Final scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 50-45. Adesanya landed 116 significant strikes to Cannonier's 53. It was his fifth successful UFC middleweight title defense.
In his post-fight interview, Adesanya was characteristically focused on the next challenge: "Alex Pereira just got the win earlier. I'm ready when he is." The two would meet at UFC 281 in November 2022 in one of the most-anticipated middleweight title fights of the post-2020 era.
Co-Main Event: Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3
The trilogy was the most lopsided of the three Volkanovski-Holloway meetings. Alexander Volkanovski controlled all five rounds with volume striking, leg kicks, and pressure. Max Holloway pressed forward through every round but could not find the openings that had given him the close losses in UFC 245 and UFC 251.
Final scorecards: 50-45, 50-45, 50-45 — a clean shutout. Volkanovski landed 174 significant strikes to Holloway's 105. It was Volkanovski's fourth successful UFC featherweight title defense and the formal close of the most-discussed featherweight rivalry of the modern era. Final series ledger: 3-0 Volkanovski.
Holloway would not get another UFC featherweight title shot. He moved up to lightweight at UFC 300 in April 2024 to challenge for the BMF belt against Justin Gaethje — a fight he won by fifth-round KO with two seconds left on the clock, one of the most dramatic finishes in UFC history.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Israel Adesanya (c) def. Jared Cannonier — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) — Middleweight Title
Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Max Holloway — Unanimous Decision (50-45 ×3) — Featherweight Title
Alex Pereira def. Sean Strickland — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:36 — Middleweight
Sean O'Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz — No Contest (eye poke) — R2, 4:34 — Bantamweight
Robbie Lawler def. Bryan Barberena — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:08 — Welterweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Jim Miller def. Donald Cerrone — Submission (guillotine choke) — R1, 2:24 — Lightweight
Brad Riddell def. N/A (Correction: Jalin Turner def. Brad Riddell via Submission R2) — Lightweight
Maycee Barber def. Jessica Eye — KO (punches) — R3, 2:51 — Women's Flyweight
Ian Garry def. Gabriel Green — Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) — Welterweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Alex Pereira — $50,000 for the first-round TKO of Sean Strickland.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Jim Miller — $50,000 for the first-round guillotine choke submission of Donald Cerrone.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Maycee Barber — $50,000 for the third-round KO of Jessica Eye.
Records & Milestones
• Adesanya's fifth consecutive UFC Middleweight Championship defense — his eventual final defense as champion.
• Volkanovski-Holloway final series ledger: 3-0 Volkanovski across three consecutive featherweight title fights.
• Volkanovski's fourth successful UFC Featherweight Championship defense — part of his eventual five-defense reign.
• Alex Pereira's TKO of Sean Strickland positioned him for the title shot that would come at UFC 281.
• Pereira's TKO of Strickland was his first top-five welterweight finish and the launching pad for his championship arc.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 276 is remembered as the night the Volkanovski-Holloway featherweight rivalry was settled definitively and the night Alex Pereira completed his arrival as a top-three middleweight contender. The Pereira TKO over Strickland — in front of Adesanya's home crowd, with the champion watching from the Octagonside seats — was the formal start of the Pereira-Adesanya MMA rivalry that would dominate the middleweight division through 2023.
For Adesanya, UFC 276 was his fifth and final successful UFC middleweight title defense. He lost the title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November 2022 by fifth-round TKO. He reclaimed it from Pereira at UFC 287 in April 2023 by second-round KO, then lost it to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023 by unanimous decision.
For Alexander Volkanovski, the trilogy win was the cleanest of his three Holloway victories and the formal end of the most-discussed featherweight rivalry of the modern era. He defended the title once more (against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July 2023) before losing to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024 by second-round KO.
For Max Holloway, UFC 276 was the formal close of his featherweight title-shot window. He won the BMF belt against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April 2024 — a fight he won by fifth-round KO with two seconds left on the clock — before losing the title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in October 2024 by third-round KO.
FAQ
Why was Pereira such a dangerous matchup for Adesanya?
Pereira had defeated Adesanya twice in Glory kickboxing — a 2016 win by decision and a 2017 KO. He had the size, the power, and the documented stylistic edge over Adesanya in the striking realm. The 2017 KO had been one of the most one-sided losses of Adesanya's pre-UFC career. The TKO of Strickland at UFC 276 confirmed Pereira's MMA striking translated to the UFC level. The Pereira-Adesanya UFC 281 title fight was widely seen as the most-anticipated middleweight bout since their kickboxing days.
How did the Volkanovski-Holloway trilogy end?
Decisively. The first fight at UFC 245 was a UD for Volkanovski; the rematch at UFC 251 was a controversial split decision; the trilogy at UFC 276 was a 50-45 ×3 shutout. Final ledger: 3-0 Volkanovski. The third meeting confirmed the gap between champion and challenger that the close earlier results had questioned.
What happened in the O'Malley-Munhoz No Contest?
O'Malley landed an accidental eye poke that left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue at 4:34 of round two. The bout was ruled a No Contest. Munhoz's right eye was visibly inflamed; he could not see clearly enough to defend in the third round. The result was technically a draw, but O'Malley used it to position himself for his next title shot — he would fight Petr Yan at UFC 280 in October 2022 and eventually win the bantamweight title from Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023.
Did Cannonier get another title shot?
No. UFC 276 was Cannonier's lone UFC middleweight title shot. He went 1-2 in subsequent UFC bouts (a UD loss to Sean Strickland at UFC FN: Strickland vs. Cannonier in December 2022, a UD win over Marvin Vettori at UFC FN in June 2023) and has remained a top-five middleweight contender into the mid-2020s without another title shot.
Did Adesanya defend the title again after UFC 276?
No. UFC 276 was Adesanya's fifth and final successful UFC middleweight title defense. He lost the title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November 2022 by fifth-round TKO — a Knockout of the Year nominee in which Pereira had been losing on every scorecard before landing the finish in round five. Adesanya reclaimed the title from Pereira at UFC 287 in April 2023 by second-round KO, then lost it to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023 by unanimous decision.
How does UFC 276 compare to UFC 275?
UFC 276 drew approximately 600,000 PPV buys versus UFC 275 (450,000) three weeks earlier. The 150,000-buy jump reflected the International Fight Week framing, the Volkanovski-Holloway trilogy main-card bout, and the marquee value of a T-Mobile Arena card. UFC 276's gate of $8.2 million was the highest non-McGregor UFC PPV gate of 2022 to that point.
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