UFC 271 Tips and Predictions

And so it shall be done. It’s the rematch Australia and New Zealand UFC fans have waited more than two years for and on Saturday, it all goes down in Houston, Texas. Israel Adesanya has reigned as the unified UFC middleweight champion since stopping Robert Whittaker in stunning fashion at Marvel Arena in Melbourne. But the first Australian UFC Champion has dismantle a raft of top contenders since his second round defeat and now looks set to take up the fight to his Kiwi rival.

Israel Adesanya v Robert Whittaker 2

It hasn’t been plain sailing for Adesanya since capturing gold, having gone on to defend his belt in less than spectacular style against Yoel Romero as the pandemic was ramping up. A statement making win over Paulo Costa on Fight Island seemingly had the native of Nigeria and New Zealand back on track before a leap to Light Heavyweight saw him fall in a decision loss to then champion Jan Blachowicz. After outclassing Marvin Vettori when returning to middleweight, the all-but-undefeated Mixed Martial Artist comes into this contest fresh. Whittaker is also coming off somewhat of a layoff having not fought for near on 11 months when seeing off the ever present threat of Kelvin Gastelum. Prior to that win he also took care of fellow contenders Jarrod Cannonier and Darren Till. Despite the fact he hasn’t finished a fight since 2017, Whittaker continues to find a way to win. This fight is likely to play out far differently to the first. Where Whittaker was perhaps trying to replicate Gastelum’s success in his epic interim title fight with Adesanya, we’re sure to see a different game plan here. Rather than lunging in as he did in their first bout, we’re likely to see this one play out at range with neither fighter likely to fly as close to the sun as they were willing to two years ago. It’s fair to assume both fighters have improved in the time since but it’s hard to gauge whether Adesyanya’s dominance over Whittaker can be replicated under different conditions. For that reason, and with a potentially more cautious approach from both men, the fight to go the distance @ $1.94 looks the standout bet.

AFTER KNOCKING OUT WHITTAKER IN 2019, STAKE’S OWN ISRAEL ADESANYA WILL BE LOOKING TO KICK OFF 2022 IN THE SAME FASHION. AND IF HE DOES GET THE VICTORY AND ENDS THE FIGHT EARLY, YOU’LL EARN TRIPLE WINNINGS!

Best Bets

The UFC looks to have served up a particularly juicing betting card so we can get involved in a number of ways to enjoy the action. We’ll play two parlays one, ’safe’ the other a little more ‘adventurous’ but for those that also like straight wagers there are also three of those worth getting involved with. The general thoughts as follows: Carlos Ulberg finds a more suitable fight for his second UFC assignment and has the power to get a win on the board. Alex Perez has the tools to get the better of Matt Schnell across three rounds so he looks a nice anchor for multi’s. Casey O’Neill is the new breed of female MMA fighter and she looks capable of running through the retiring Roxanne Modafferi so the win looks safe but a KO isn’t beyond the realms. Derrick Lewis has the ultimate equaliser in his fists so even though Tai Tuivasa is on a roll, he looks to have met his match with the division’s elite. Without further ado: