UFC 271: A Tale of Two Kings in the Rematch Between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker

By
Gabriel Gonzalez
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Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, UFC 271 ceremonial weigh-in Credit: Dave Noseworthy/Cageside Press

Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker are the best middleweights in the world today, but only one can reign supreme in the main event of UFC 271.

Imagine a battlefield from the days of old.

On one side stands a proud and confident king who has laid waste to his foes with great precision and ease.  So dominant is he that his talent as a warrior is regarded amongst the very best ever seen in the kingdom.  Across the plains is another king, a reserved man who lost his throne to his more boisterous rival years ago.  But while his kingdom was overtaken, his abilities as a fighter remain as formidable as ever and he stands as the greatest threat to the current ruler.  After working his way across the battlefield, he is finally in front of his rival once again.

Israel Adesanya’s dominance as a middleweight has been a sight to behold.  His abilities as a striker rival rival those of the legendary former champ Anderson Silva.  He has appeared untouchable, brilliantly annihilating foes such as Paulo Costa and Derek Brunson.  Other times, he appears comfortable not leaving the second gear to secure a victory as he went the distance against Marvin Vettori and Yoel Romero.  After a decorated kickboxing career already, his MMA career has only seen a single hiccup and it was in a weight class 20 pounds higher against the reigning champion.

No victory stands more impressive, both at the time and in hindsight, than his knockout over Whittaker.  As the two top middleweights in the world, it secures his standing as the unquestioned best in the weight class.  It will be a tall order to outdo his last performance.  If he does, however, it would raise questions as to what’s next for him?  With now multiple victories over several top five foes, it would be time to seriously discuss his place in the pound-for-pound discussion.

Depending on your point of view, Robert Whittaker has arguably had just as difficult of a schedule as Adesanya since losing the title.  As the champion has called for new foes, Whittaker has spoiled such plans by taking out one top contender after another in Darren Till and Jared Cannonier.  Both of them fighters specifically named by Adesanya as opponents he expected to face.  With a victory over Kelvin Gastelum also under his belt, Whittaker has done his part to secure his place as the second best middleweight in the division.

While he will continue to be regarded amongst the best at 185 pounds no matter Saturday’s result, it would create a difficult situation moving forward should Whittaker come up short once again.  A former welterweight, a jump all the way up to the light heavyweight division for “The Reaper” is unlikely to be successful.  Though there is no guarantee Adesanya’s reign will be long following a second victory over Whittaker, it would be unfavorable to be on the outside and being used as a stepping stone for the other rising contenders to get their own shot at the title.

Though Adesanya won their first contest relatively unscathed, most expect a greater display of talents in the rematch.  For the champion, shot selection and volume will be the key to victory.  Should he be getting the better of Whittaker at mid-range as he did in the last bout, then the key will be to throw with enough accuracy and volume to stay ahead on the scorecards if he struggles to finish the durable Whittaker.

The challenger has teased that he will use his full arsenal in the bout.  In reality, he has a number of routes to victory that he can choose to pursue.  Using a multi-faceted striking attack will be key to neutralizing the champion’s vaunted offense on the feet.  While he may still elect to put the pressure on Adesanya, it is expected that he will look to get in-and-out with shots to the head and body.  With much of the pre-fight discussion revolving around replicating Jan Blachowicz’s strategy, it should be noted that Whittaker is amongst the few middleweights whose size and athleticism could work to execute the game plan of the former light heavyweight champion to get Adesanya to the mat.

Though there are several scenarios as to who will be next to challenge for the title, most expect it to be Derek Brunson if he prevails on the undercard.  Should Jared Cannonier emerge the winner, then he would likely get the nod should Adesanya remain champion.  Should both Whittaker and Cannonier emerge victorious, surging contender Sean Strickland would be the most likely candidate to get the nod.   Depending on how competitive Saturday’s title bout is, an immediate rematch to complete the trilogy between Adesanya and Whittaker is not out of the question.

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