A middleweight championship rematch headlines an excellent UFC 271 card and Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Bowker (14-3) |  |  |  |  |
| Alex Behunin (13-4) |  | | | |
| Justin Gibbons (12-5) | | | | |
| Eddie Law (12-5) | |  | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (11-6) | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (10-7) | | | |  |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (10-7) | | |  | |
| Dan Doherty (10-7) | | | | |
Back in 2019, Israel Adesanya won the middleweight title by dominating then-champion Robert Whittaker on the feet. Now two and a half years later, they will meet again in the main event of UFC 271. Since that first fight, Whittaker is on a tear, with three wins over top contenders Jared Cannonier, Darren Till, and Kelvin Gastelum. Adesanya has defended his title three times, only losing when going up to light heavyweight to challenge then-champion Jan Blachowicz. Adesanya was picked by six of eight writers.
The co-main event is a heavyweight banger between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa. Lewis is now the owner of the most knockouts in UFC history, earning his 13th with a first-round knockout against rising contender Chris Daukaus. He’s won five of his last six with three knockouts in that stretch. Tuivasa is on a roll, knocking out his last four opponents. That turned things around for him, as he had lost three straight fighters before the streak. All but one writer picked Lewis.
Middleweights battle on the main card as Jared Cannonier faces Derek Brunson. Cannonier has won four of his last five, with the only loss coming to former champion Robert Whittaker. Brunson has tamed his aggressive approach and as a result, he’s won five consecutive fights. Brunson was picked by six of eight writers.
Opening up the UFC 271 main card will be lightweights Bobby Green and Nasrat Haqparast. Green recently snapped a two-fight losing streak by knocking out Al Iaquinta in the first round. Haqparast had a two-fight winning streak snapped after losing to Dan Hooker. Cageside Press was split at four picks apiece.
Due to its late addition to the main card, picks were not submitted for Alexander Hernandez vs. Renato Moicano.
