Tonight’s UFC 271 event was headlined by a middleweight title fight rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
Adesanya (21-1 MMA) and Whittaker (23-5 MMA) clashed for the second time this evening in Houston with the promotions coveted middleweight title up for grabs.
‘Stylebender’ and ‘The Reaper’ had originally squared off in a title unification bout in October of 2019, with Adesanya emerging victorious by way of a second round knockout.
Since that time, Robert Whittaker had put together a perfect 3-0 record, scoring unanimous decision victories over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kevin Gastelum.
As for Israel Adesanya, ‘Stylebender’ had gone 3-1 since defeating ‘The Reaper’ at UFC 243. Izzy was most previously seen in action in June of 2021, where he scored a unanimous decision victory over Marvin Vettori.
Tonight’s UFC 271 main event proved to be a hard fought back and forth affair. Israel Adesanya seemingly got the better of Robert Whittaker in the opening ten minutes, even dropping ‘The Reaper’ with a right hand in the opening frame. However, Whittaker would start to turn the tide in round three and then appeared to get the better of ‘Stylebender’ in rounds four and five. After twenty-five minutes of action the bout went to the judges scorecards for decision and Adesanya was awarded the win.
Official UFC 271 Result: Israel Adesanya def. Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision (48-47 x2, 49-46)
Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2’ below:
I love me some Whittaker. Absolutely love the dude. But I feel like Izzy is unstoppable. In another season, Whittaker is champ. My gut says Izzy wins. Also, my wife loves @HerbDean …so this is a great fight all around. #UFC271
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/giga_chikadze/status/1492730775485108227
The two best at middleweight by far and we get to enjoy the contest. #UFC271
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 13, 2022
My heart with Robert but my mind with Adesanya
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) February 13, 2022
Man give me any of these guys.
Any. Any time.— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) February 13, 2022
Whittaker is fighting scared#
— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) February 13, 2022
Izzy is supremely confident right now! #UFC271
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) February 13, 2022
Robert should stick with those calf kicks on Izzy! #UFC271
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) February 13, 2022
Adesanya is attacking lead leg of Whittaker to take away all The power and forward boxing pressure.
Whittaker can not win moving backward he must Check kicks with forward pressure.— Dominick Cruz (@DominickCruz) February 13, 2022
Man Izzy is a genius in movement and striking
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/KelvinGastelum/status/1492734475821846531
For as dominant as Izzy is…he isn’t overly offensive. #ufc271
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1492735863179993088
Post-fight reactions to Israel Adesanya defeating Robert Whittaker:
https://twitter.com/Justin_Gaethje/status/1492738508162752512
Bring “everything” ? – didn’t see it… #UFC271
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 13, 2022
Trust me, I love Izzy. But we have gotten to a point where a dominant champ just needs to stand there, throw a few shots per round and he will not lose unless he gets caught&he will always get the nod. Izzy got paid on this last contract…go FIGHT, don’t you dare spar. #UFC271
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 13, 2022
No
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) February 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/KChimaev/status/1492739889581932545
Who would you like to see Israel Adesanya fight next following his victory over Robert Whittaker at tonight’s UFC 271 event Houston? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!