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UFC 271 will soon be upon us and this event will be featuring a highly anticipated rematch between a couple of the best middleweights the division has ever seen.
The Stylebender will be looking to maintain his undefeated record at middleweight and Robert Whittaker is on a vengeance tour to regain the title that once was his. There will also be a great clash between two huge heavyweights in Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa, although the card is stacked we're going to hone in on the top two fights of the evening.
Main event: Adesanya (-270) vs Whittaker (+230)
Their first clash wasn’t nearly as close as many expected it could be, however, I think this second fight between the two could deliver a much closer contest. In their first fight, Whittaker was coming off some serious injuries and was coming off a pretty lengthy layoff because of them. There was no way he was 100% for that fight. Since then he’s defeated 3 great contenders and has certainly earned this rematch. With that said, I am not sure if he has the skill set or the measurements to stand up to Adesanya.
Adesayna has a 4 inch height advantage and a 7 inch reach advantage, to go with that, he has some of the best striking skills the division has ever seen. That’s what's always made him so dangerous, such an elite skill set paired with the length he has. I just wonder how Whittaker is going to get in range of Adesanya without taking heavy punishment himself. With that said Whittaker has overcome great odds previously in his career and if anyone in the middleweight division could best Adesanya it would be him. he's already come out and stated he's willing to be a little more patient this go around and execute a gameplan rather than head in Guns A' Blazin'. I expect a much closer and overall fantastic fight between these two this second time around.
Zach’s Pick: Adesanya via Decision
Ryan's Pick: Adesanya via TKO
Maher's Pick: Adesanya via Decision
Vince's Pick: Adesanya via Decision
Co-main Event: Lewis (-200) vs Tuivasa (+175)
Alright... who's ready for another electric post fight interview? These two aren’t just any heavyweights. They are genuinely two of the largest guys in the UFC and they certainly both pack quite the punch. Both of these guys have been quite successful lately. Tuivasa has won his last four fights and Lewis has won five out of his last six. Both of them also have a very high knockout rate so I would expect some fireworks in this one.
This has the feel of an all out brawl heading in as Lewis has been very vocal about wanting to cut down on the length of his fights and Tuivasa's willingness to meet any man in the middle.
Lewis is slightly taller and has about a 4 inch reach advantage, but I'm not expecting that will be too significant. I believe Lewis’s achievements and resume is definitely more impressive than Tuivasa, however, Tuivasa is the younger fighter by almost a decade. The Australian native certainly has great potential in this weight class, but tomorrow night I believe it will be Lewis who will reign victorious. Realistically you can't go wrong in this one as we either get another Shoey (look it up) or Derrick Lewis making everyone in the crowd both uncomfortable and entertained in a post fight presser, a true win win.
Zach’s Pick: Lewis via TKO
Ryan's Pick: Lewis via TKO
Maher's Pick: Tuivasa via Decision
Vince's Pick: Tuivasa via Decision
- Zach Binsfeld / Upside Play
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