The second UFC pay-per-view card of 2022 is set to go down this weekend and boy is it a big one! UFC 271 will take place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on February 12.
In the main event, we’ll see an eagerly anticipated rematch between the UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and the man he dethroned in 2019, Robert Whittaker.
The co-headliner will see Houston’s own Derrick Lewis looks to derail Tai Tuivasa’s recent hype train in a fan favourite fight between two of the biggest punchers in MMA.
Before that Jared Cannonier squares off against Derek Brunson in a fight that seems set to decide who’s next in line for a shot at the middleweight title.
Join LowKickMMA as we explain why we are backing Israel Adesanya, Derrick Lewis, and Jared Cannonier all to win at 9/2 with Betway.
Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2
The UFC 271 main event is such a great fight for so many reasons but the most important fact is that Adesanya and Whittaker are the two best 185lb fighters in MMA.
Adesanya may have dominated their first meeting but we don’t envisage it being quite that easy on Saturday. Whittaker made catastrophic mistakes in the first fight and we expect he’ll rectify them at UFC 271.
Despite that, we think Adesanya is just on another level. This fight may be close, Whittaker may even win a couple of rounds but ultimately, he won’t be walking away with the belt this weekend. We expect ‘Stylebender’ will get the better of the striking exchanges, stuff the takedown attempts and ultimately pick up a unanimous decision win over his biggest rival.
Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa
You could call this fight the people’s main event as there’s a subsect of MMA fans who are genuinely looking forward to this bout more than any other on the UFC 271 card.
It’s easy to see why as you’ve got two of the biggest heavyweight punchers about to throw down. Besides that, Lewis and Tuivasa are two of the funniest guys in the sport.
If Tuivasa wins this fight he becomes a UFC superstar. The 28-year-old seems to go viral with everything he does as of late. Tuivasa’s walkouts, knockouts and his post-fight celebration are all must-see TV. Right now, he’s just missing that signature win that will propel him into the heavyweight title picture.
While he could get that win at UFC 271, we think it’ll be much easier said than done. Lewis is not only a powerful striker he’s also a crafty veteran who we think could catch and KO his eager opponent in the early stages of this epic co-main event match-up.
Jared Cannonier vs. Derek Brunson
A statement win from either man in this middleweight match-up should be enough to secure a fight against the winner of Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2.
Cannonier has picked up four big wins since dropping down to middleweight and has only lost to ‘The Reaper’. Last time out he looked sensational as he dominated Kelvin Gastelum over three rounds.
Brunson has been the nearly man at 185lbs for years but since he’s dyed his hair blonde he’s managed to put together a string of very impressive wins. The 38-year-old has beaten Darren Till, Kevin Holland and Edmen Shahbazyan during his current five-fight win streak. Unfortunately for Brunson, we don’t think he’ll be able to make it six on the bounce at UFC 271.
Cannonier will be tough to take down and Brunson continues to look vulnerable when his fights are on the feet for any amount of time. We expect Cannonier will stop Brunson in this fight before calling for whoever wins the UFC 271 main event.
Who will you be betting on at UFC 271?