“He’s tough, he’s resilient,” said Whittaker. “I thought I had him gone but he stayed in. He got back up. Just a tough guy. I thought it played out like I thought it would. It’s a fight, we’re throwing punches, they’re going to land sometimes. He’s a tough guy, he was in it from the start to the end and it was a privilege to fight him.”

UFC boss Dana White said in the post-fight press conference that Whittaker had forced his way into a rematch with Adesanya.

“It’s very appealing,” said White. “Adesanya has a lot of options but the fight that makes the most sense right now is Whittaker. I thought Cannonier was going to be a much tougher challenge for him. He looked good tonight.”

In losing the belt to Adesanya he had looked a shadow of the fighter that had worked his way to the title across almost a decade. Inside Abu Dhabi’s Flash Forum, the No 1-ranked Whittaker was back to his brilliant best, using a ferocious jab to work the American over, then landing a huge right foot to the head in the third that should – by rights – have ended things then and there.

But the 36-year-old Cannonier is as hard as they come and he steadied himself for a final assault, rocking the Aussie with a cross to the cheek. But Whittaker’s cage craft clicked and he smothered the American into the wire –taking it 29-28 on all cards.

“Straight off the back from the last fight me and my team diligently worked game plans for this guy,” said Whittaker. “He knew he was aggressive, we knew he’d walk me down. Had to come in from the outside and followed it to a ‘t.’ Got a very classy win. Happy to come home.”

The second-ranked Cannonier went to work on Whittaker’s lead leg in the first, his outside kicks turning the area behind the Aussie’s left knee a nasty shade of red. But Whittaker kept throwing and landing, with an inch-perfect right rocking the American and his constant jabs quickly finding range.

Cannonier kept switching stance to counter the Whittaker attacks but his right eye was swelling by halfway through the second, and that leg attack seemed by that point to be the best he had to offer. At the bell – and with one to go – the pace had both fighters sucking air deeply but Whittaker was way ahead on significant strikes thrown and landed. He kept that jab coming, he kept threatening with that huge right leg of his, and he took the victory with a scream of sheer delight.

Cannonier had come in undefeated at middleweight after working his way down through heavyweight and then lightweight. His 3-0 streak came through TKOs over the likes of the great Brazilian Andeson Silva (34-10, one no contest) and the fourth-ranked Swede Jack Hermansson (21-5) that had laid out his credentials in the division.

Adesanya (20-0) had been watching with interest – and was quick to share his thoughts on where the division was headed after demolishing Brazilian Paulo Costa (13-1) on September 27.

“Jarod Cannonier, destroy Robert Whittaker then you’re next,” he declared post-fight.

The former champ said in the lead-up to Sunday he was unconcerned – as he is about most things outside what he can directly control – and said he’d be judged by what went on where it really matters, and that’s inside the cage.

Given this display, Adesanya has ahead of him a man who took his loss, and he learned. Now the chance to right a wrong is likely to loom in the new year.

“I’m going straight home and I’m putting up my Christmas tree,” said Whittaker. “Honestly, it’s a blessing to be able to work in these crazy times, it’s amazing.”