Israel Adesanya, a Nigerian-New Zealander mixed martial artist, has risen to No. 2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings after defeating Robert Whittaker. At UFC 271 over the weekend, ‘Stylebender’ put on a striking masterclass to earn a unanimous decision against his opponent. He leapfrogs featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who drops to third but might reclaim the spot if he defeats Chan Sung Jung on April 9. The welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, remains in first place, but a match between him and Adesanya is improbable because to Usman’s Nigerian patriotism. Ali Abdelaziz, …
