UFC 271: Adesanya v. Whittaker 2 Middleweight Mayhem

The UFC is back with its second major pay per view of 2022, with an absolute banger of a middleweight title fight between “The Last StyleBender” Israel Adesanya and “Bobby Knuckles” aka Robert Whittaker. 

Card: UFC 271: Adesanya-Whittaker 2
Date: Saturday, Feb. 12 2022, 10 p.m. ET
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Tex.

Main Card Odds via Caesers 2/11/2022

The UFC 271 card has some pretty entertaining bouts throughout the entirety of the night, but for the sake of this preview we are focusing exclusively on the five Main Card fights. In the first bout of the evening UFC veteran Bobby Green squares off against underdog Nasrat Haqparast. Green has been a UFC regular since signing with the company in 2013 and is looking to build momentum in what feels like the twilight of his career. Over his last five bouts he is 3-2 with a first round finish coming against Al Iaquinta. In an ideal scenario for Green’s camp he can get in and out of this bout without taking significant damage, however, if Haqparast has his way this will be a three round track meet. Haqparast has vowed to dominate Green for the full fifteen minutes of their bout but after coming off a decision loss to Dan Hooker, it feels like the 26 year old is looking to stay relevant by defeating a man nine years his senior. Green has shown to have a sharp boxing ability and solid footwork, as a matchup featuring two contrasting stances, the fight should have plenty of fireworks to start the main card. 

The second bout of the evening is between two extremely well rounded fighters that have almost every aspect of the fight game serviceable in the octagon. A bit of a weird situation, Hernandez complained about where his fight was on the card and then was subsequently elevated to the main card. A fast rising prospect three years ago, Hernandez has wins over some of the elite in the lightweight division. Yet, after going 3-3 in his last six he is looking for answers even though he acts like he is a prime time player in the fight game. You can’t deny his skillset though and that carries the same notion for Moicano. While some fighters lack adequate ground games or don’t have the punching power to strike, both Hernandez and Moicano fight to the style that makes their opponents uncomfortable. Almost similar in every way, outside of the three year age difference, it feels like this fight could go either way and will be a tactical battle. A three round event, don’t expect fireworks in the first round but instead well placed strikes to get a sense of what the game plan is on both sides. If Hernandez or Moicano find an opening, it will most likely be attacked in the second and third round. This is a momentum fight for both sides,

In the first truly interesting fight of the evening, we have two top 5 middleweights squaring off with (3) Jared Cannonier taking on (4) Derek Brunson. Both of these men are in their late 30s and this fight, depending on how it goes, will represent their last real shot at grabbing gold. This is your classic striker vs wrestler matchup these men have contrasting styles, and it will be interesting to see who sticks to their game plan in the octagon. On one side Cannonier is a banger with a lot of power in his hands, with his most recent defeat coming at the hands of this cards title challenger Robert Whittaker. Brunson on the other hand is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC. Brunson will look to control the pace and take the fight out of Cannonier’s hands with his grappling ability and takedown offense. Outside of clipping him, Cannonier will have to buckle down and do his best to fight against the cage and stay up right through the entirety of the fight. Stamina should play a large part in the success of each competitor, if Brunson tires from his takedown attempts it could open Cannonier up to throw shots standing up. Yet, if Brunson gets his way you could have alot of heavy breathing on the ground. 

In the Co-main you have the potential to steal fight of the night away from the championship bout. Two of UFC’s most interesting heavyweight square off when (11) Tai Tuivasa and (3) Derrick Lewis enter the octagon. Lewis has been known for his post fight soundbites and Tuivasa has grown his following as fast as he can do a “shoey”. Getting into the details of the fight, it feels like this can go one of two ways. The expected outcome is that this will be an absolute brawl and resemble two kids playing “Rock’em Sock’em Robots”, leading to an early knockout and a major pop from the crowd. However, there is a chance that both heavyweight giants have a respect for their oppositions power turning this into a slower more methodical war. This fight has different levels of importance for Lewis and Tuivasa. Lewis, ranked as the third best heavyweight in the division could make the argument he deserves a chance to fight for the vacated championship. With Ngannou injured and the division influx, a knockout artist at the top could bring in major ratings for Dana White. Tuivasa would continue his march to the top of the rankings and be in a position to become a top five contender putting himself in the championship conversation going forward. With so much uncertainty and potential surrounding this fight, the only expectation is that someone will be getting knocked out. 

Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for. One of the biggest rematches in UFC Middleweight history. The former champ, Robert Whittaker, is trying to reclaim the crown and etch his name in stone as one of the divisions greatest fighters. While Adesanya, the champion, works to cement a legacy of his own by fighting the best of the best every time he steps in the octagon. Since their last fight, Adesanya and Whittaker have both drastically expanded their skillset and sharpened their skills as fighters. After being knocked out in 2019, the challenger has rattled off three absolutely dominant decision wins over every top competitor in the division, not named Adesanya. The champion took a chance at Light Heavyweight in an attempt to become one of the few “champ-champs” in UFC history but came up short to bruiser Jan Blachowicz. Coming back down to the Middleweight division defeated, Izzy has once again asserted his dominance over a timid Yoel Romero, an always game Paolo Costa (KO) and in a rematch with Marvin Vettori. Carrying his belt into the fight it is clear they both have momentum and find themselves on a full speed collision course back to where it all started for “The Last Stylebender”. Their personal improvements and familiarity will be deciding factors in this bout. While Dana White would love to set up a trilogy, anything can happen when the bell rings. 

Predictions: