UFC 271: Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker will likely not be contested in Australia or New Zealand, says Dana White.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) expects UFC 271 to be headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 in the land down under Canada’s border, specifically Seattle.
A rematch between UFC Middleweight champion Adesanya and top contender Whittaker (No. 1) is in the works for the UFC’s pay-per-view (PPV) event on Feb. 12, according to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter. White expects the fight to take place in Seattle or a major Canadian city.
Just spoke to Dana White who tells me that UFC 271, expected to be headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whitaker is being targeted for either Seattle or a major Canadian city on February 12, 2022.
— Aaron Br nsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 25, 2021
“Just spoke to Dana White who tells me that UFC 271, expected to be headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whitaker, is being targeted for either Seattle or a major Canadian city on February 12, 2022,” Bronsteter tweeted on Monday.
Adesanya dethroned Whittaker for the UFC Middleweight championship in a one-sided outing (watch highlights here) at UFC 243, earning a second-round knockout (KO) at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on Sat., Oct. 6, 2019.
Following that fight, “The Last Stylebender” (21-1) defended his title against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa. He made a brief detour to light heavyweight in a failed bid to secure that division’s title from Jan Blachowicz. He returned to middleweight in his most recent fight in June and beat Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision.
“The Reaper” (23-5) bounced back from his loss to Adesanya with three consecutive unanimous decision wins against Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.
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