- The headliner of the UFC 271 is the fight between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
- This is the bout for the UFC middleweight title, currently held by Adesanya.
- He won the title against Whittaker at UFC 243.
The long-awaited rematch between two down-under guys is finally going to happen. Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker meet once again, only this time the roles are a bit different. Izzy is the title-holder, while Whittaker comes in as a challenger.
Be absolutely sure; this one is going to be a blast.
Adesanya vs. Whittaker Schedule
- Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
- When: Saturday, February 12, 10 pm ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Adesanya vs. Whittaker Odds
| Adesanya | Whittaker |
|---|---|
| -220 | +260 |
Adesanya to Continue his Domination or….
We have to say right away that the Last Stylebender didn’t amaze anyone in the past few fights. Apart from his KO against Paulo Costa (who turned out to be just hype, nothing more), Izzy’s performances since defeating Whittaker have been mild.
Against Romero, he didn’t show anything, and only the fact that he held the title belt gave him the edge over the Cuban. Against Blachowicz, we saw him inferior throughout the majority of the battle, and in his latest bout, vs. Vettori, we didn’t see anything spectacular from him. Simply he didn’t dominate at all.
What we noticed is that he became much more defensive-orientated since winning the title and that in certain situations, he avoids taking the initiative. The upcoming event will show a lot when it comes to Izzy.
Whittaker’s Chance to Get Back
The same applies to the Reaper. This bout will determine his future in the UFC. If he loses, we probably won’t see him in title combinations for at least two years, because several guys are waiting for their turn to attack the belt.
Whittaker had three battles since he lost the title, and all three ended in his favor via unanimous decision. Needless to say that he, too, didn’t thrill the fans. The Reaper’s victims were Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum.
He was dominant against Gastelum, but with all due respect, for us, Kelvin is not among the top middleweights anymore. His kick-boxing, and especially wrestling, will have to be at a much higher level than usual. Otherwise, there is no chance to beat Adesanya.
Head to Head
UFC 243 saw Adesanya dethroning Whittaker via KO win. He caught the rival after one exchange with a hard left counter, that ended perfectly on Whittaker’s chin, and that was it. Previously, he had one similar strike, but the horn saved the champion at the time.
Preview and Prediction
In our opinion, this is going to be a very tactical and patient matchup. Izzy won’t attack, and on the other side, Whittaker knows that if he opens too early, another KO might come in a split of a second. Our pick here would be the fight going to the distance with the odds on that currently at -110. In our opinion, this is a fair offer.
Pick: Fight to go to the distance -110
