Ernest Osogbue.
Despite earning the rare honor of taking Moses Itauma beyond two rounds, Jermaine Franklin suffered the same fate as all of the recent Moses Itauma opponents, after being knocked cold in the 5th of a 10 round bout.
Itauma came out smoking in the first round, showcasing the boxing skill set that has made him the biggest rave of the heavyweight division since Mike Tyson. He caught Franklin with blistering shots to the head and body, but the much heavier Franklin, withstood the barrage of quickfire shots, to remind Itauma that stopping him would need some doing.
The second round followed the same pattern, but in the 3rd, a right roundhouse shot to the head, put Franklin down for a knockdown and a standing 8 count. Sensing an opening, Itauma came out swinging in the 4th, perhaps expecting Franklin to fold. Franklin, however responded with some shots to make it his best round, despite Itauma winning the round.
The 5th round started slowly, with Itauma perhaps, realizing that his opponent who has never been knocked out in his career, was a worthy opponent. A clinch by Franklin, midway through the round, led to Itauma hitting one of the most devastating left uppercuts you’ll ever see, and as Franklin wobbled, with his eyes rolling into his head, Itauma applied the coup de gras, with a right hand shot, that sent Franklin crashing head first unto the canvas, forcing referee Steve Gray to wave off the fight.
Franklin had been touted as the fighter most likely to give Itauma his biggest test, but in the end, he became another statistic on the Itauma tape. Itauma, now boasts 14 fights, 14 wins, and 12 KO’s. He recently told the BBC, that he cherished his Nigerian heritage, after the reception he received on his last visit to the country.
Similarly, another Nigerian born fighter, and a former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, suffered a second round KO, at the hands of rising UFC star, Joe Pyfer, to mark a fought consecutive loss in the division.
Adesanya who was leading on the judges cards after the first round, had utilized his longer reach and leg kicks to keep Pyfer at bay and score points in the first round. Midway through the 2nd round, however, a devastating right hook from Pyfer, sent Adesanya bouncing against the cage, and losing his balance. Pyfer, pounced on the disoriented Adesanya, unleashing lefts and rights, thereby forcing the ref to wave off the contest.
A defiant Adesanya, popularly known as the last stylebender, told the Seattle crowd that he has no plans of retiring, as he was ready to keep fighting. The evidence on the night, however, says different. It remains to be seen how UFC president, Dana White, an Adesanya supporter, reacts to his fourth consecutive KO loss, and whether he’ll be willing to continue booking the fighter.
