UFC 271 went down last night (Sat., Feb. 12, 2022) from inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, featuring a headlining bout that saw Israel Adesanya retain his Middleweight title after edging out Robert Whittaker after 25 minutes of action to earn the unanimous decision win (highlights). In the pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, Tai Tuivasa earned a highlight reel knockout win after flattening Derrick Lewis in round two via vicious elbows (recap here).
Biggest Winner: Israel Adesanya
Adesanya retained his 185-pound title after a masterful performance against Whittaker, perhaps putting the final nail in the coffin in their rivalry by going up 2-0. It was an emphatic victory for “The Last Stylebender,” who made good on the first fight of his recently-inked monster contract. Adesanya moves to a perfect 22-0 as a Middleweight and further cements his status as one of the, if not the, biggest star on UFC’s roster at the moment. While Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman are also bullying their respective divisions, Adesanya simply has that “it” factor that draws people in. Things are only looking up for the Nigerian-born fighter, who now has four title defenses on his ever-improving resume. Furthermore, if he can rack up three more consecutive wins, he will break Anderson Silva’s record for longest win streak in the division with 12 straight.
Runner (s) Up: Tai Tuivasa and Jared Cannonier
Tuivasa stunned the Houston crowd by knocking out one of their own, face-planting Lewis in round two in what was intense brawl between a couple of the most beloved Heavyweights in the game today. With five straight knockout wins on his resume, Tuivasa can expect a huge bump in the rankings come next week, and a big fight that will come with it. His win also upped his stock as a fan and company favorite, so things are looking up for the hard-hitting, shoey-drinking big man who seems to get better after every fight.
Cannonier, meanwhile, cemented his status as the next title contender at 185 pounds after ending Derek Brunson’s five-fight win streak thanks to a devastating knockout. Cannonier improves to 5-1 over his last six fights, and he also got a shout out from Adesanya during “The Last Stylebender’s” victory speech, so that title fight is all but signed. “Killa Gorilla” has always been as game as they come throughout career that has seen him fight in three divisions, and now he will soon have the chance to earn his first-ever UFC title against one of the best in the sport today.
Biggest Loser: Derrick Lewis
Another fight in front of his hometown crowd, another loss for “Black Beast.” The hard-hitting knockout king of UFC’s Heavyweight division was getting the best of “Bam Bam” early on in the striking department, but the Aussie hung tough and went blow-for-blow against one of the most powerful punchers in the history of the sport. He eventually knocked him out with a nasty standing elbow. Lewis is now 1-2 in his last three fights, losing both via strikes. In the past, “Black Beast” has taken defeats well, managing to bounce back with a vengeance, so it will be very interesting to see how he shakes off the cobwebs following his latest setback. He is and always will be a fan-favorite and Dana White was singing his praises during the post-fight presser (see it here), so Lewis’ stock with the promotion didn’t take too much of a hit following the crushing defeat.
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