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The main event of UFC 271 features an excellent middleweight title bout between current champion Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. The fight is a rematch with the two previously fight at UFC 243 in October 2019. The first fight was an excellent performance for Adesanya with the now champion essentially knocking out Whittaker in round 1 and round 2. The first fight was a dominant performance for the Nigerian Kiwi and it's led to many assuming he'll look just as good at UFC 271. Let's continue with an Adesanya-Whittaker prediction and pick.
Israel Adesanya has been a dominant force at middleweight with his only loss coming to Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight. He's beaten the likes of Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, and Marvin Vettori during his title reign. Adesanya will be looking to prove he's one of the greatest middleweights of all time and finish the rivalry with Whittaker. The champion has been dominant with no one giving him any issues in his title defenses so far. The only middleweight that's been able to give him issues is somehow Kelvin Gastelum.
Robert Whittaker has been on an excellent run since 2019 with the Australian going 3-0 over top contenders at middleweight. He'll be looking to recapture his title and right his wrongs. His current win streak includes Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum, and Darren Till. The run has been very impressive and many expect him to look completely different at UFC 271. There is less trash talk than last time and it appears that the Australian is in a better place mentally. His wrestling is expected to play a part in this fight. All will be revealed when the cage door gets locked.
Here is how FanDuel has the Adesanya-Whittaker UFC 271 odds.
UFC 271 odds: Adesanya-Whittaker Odds
Israel Adesanya (-290)
Robert Whittaker (+235)
Over: 4.5 rounds (-132)
Under: 4.5 rounds (+104)
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How Israel Adesanya wins the fight at UFC 271
There's little chance that Robert Whittaker comes out as aggressive against Israel Adesanya this time around. The champion used the aggression last time to find the counters and win in a dominant fashion. Countering will be huge this time around as well and capitalizing on Whittakers flurries will be huge. Keeping the fight off of the ground will be huge for the champions as well since that appears to be where his opponents want to take the fight. The clinch will be huge for landing knees and elbows and will play a role in keeping the fight on the feet. As long as Adesanya forces Whittaker to lead, there's a good chance he wins the fight. The knockout could come but there's no doubt the Australian will be more careful this time around. Adesanya most likely wins by decision.
How Robert Whittaker wins the fight at UFC 271
Robert Whittaker is probably the middleweight with the most tools to defeat Israel Adesanya. Heading into UFC 271, he claims he's made big changes in his game in preparation for the champion. His jab will be a big tool against Adesanya and his wrestling is certainly going to play a factor. Like Adesanya, he'll want to fight on the counter and force his opponent to lead, as Jan Blachowicz did. It's tricky to pull off a good gameplan against Adesanya but patience and good fundamentals are going to be huge for the Australian. He could look to the Kelvin Gastelum fight as a helpful guide to giving the champion trouble while being much smaller. Whittaker's most likely path to a victory is by decision.
Final Adesanya-Whittaker Prediction & Pick
The first fight was a good idea of what could happen but it's not a good indicator for what will happen in this fight. Robert Whittaker has been working on his mistakes and the champion did lose a fight that could help determine how to beat him. Both fighters are elite and both have incredible skill sets. It will have to be seen who forces the other to lead the dance and how Whittakers patience affects the fight. This is a very tough fight to pick and either man could score a knockout or outpoint the other in a hard-fought win. Israel Adesanya seems to be the most likely to win the bout using his excellent standup. It won't be easy, but the champion wins a hard-fought decision.
Final Adesanya-Whittaker Prediction & Pick: Israel Adesanya (-290) defends his title with a unanimous decision pick.
