UFC 271 expert picks and best bets: How will Israel Adesanya-Robert Whittaker 2 and other key fights play out?
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Israel Adesanya came up short in a bid to become a double champion last year, when he went up in weight against Jan Blachowicz. But thus far, he has been unbeatable at 185 pounds.
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (23-5) is probably the division's best hope at changing that narrative. And he'll get his chance at UFC 271 on Saturday in Houston.
Adesanya (21-1) has already beaten Whittaker once, decisively. He knocked out the Aussie fighter in the second round of their title fight at UFC 243 in 2019. But Whittaker has clearly asserted himself as the division's second best. He is 11-1 overall as a UFC middleweight, and is riding a three-fight win streak over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.
Who has the edge in this highly anticipated middleweight rematch? Brett Okamoto asked several experts for their breakdowns and predictions for Saturday's main event. In addition, ESPN's betting experts Reed Kuhn and Ian Parker offer their picks for Adesanya-Whittaker 2, as well as the rest of the UFC 271 card.
UFC middleweight championship: Israel Adesanya (c) vs. Robert Whittaker
John Wood, Syndicate MMA
How Adesanya wins: Adesanya does expose himself to getting hit sometimes, He lunges in with his hands down and takes risks, but he gets away with it because he's so talented. You get that with a lot of great strikers, because their timing and vision are so good. With Adesanya, it's so hard to hit him with that second strike. You might get him with one, but it's unrealistic you get him with the second one -- and if you do get the second one, he's already countered you. His counter striking is some of the best in the business.
How Whittaker wins: Obviously, last fight's approach didn't go well, so you'd expect him to change it up. Adesanya is one of those, "You're damned if you do and damned if you don't" puzzles. Can't stay back, but can't rush forward into his counters. Getting him to the ground is probably the way to beat him, but we haven't seen anyone do that at 185 pounds. I think closing the distance to get those takedowns is damn near impossible, but Whittaker needs a takedown. Striking with Adesanya is not good for anybody. Whittaker needs to get in, dirty box, grind on the cage and get that takedown.
Prediction: Adesanya, by TKO again.
arc Montoya, Factory X
How Adesanya wins: If you're on Adesanya's side you're saying, "Let's repeat what we did. Maybe add a few new tactics, but replicate what we had success with." One of the issues Whittaker had with his darting-in-and-out style is that Adesanya throws a punch that I would call a hybrid Cuban hook, which he landed on Whittaker using that darting style, and it paid dividends.
Tale Of The Tape
ADESANYA | WHITTAKER | |
---|---|---|
Age | 32 | 31 |
Height | 76 | 72 |
Reach | 80.0 | 73.5 |
Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Last fight | 6/12/21 | 4/17/21 |
X Factor: Time. They've both been off for a long time since their last fight. What does that look like?
Prediction: My gut says Izzy wins again