The mixed martial arts world is buzzing because the next UFC pay-per-view, UFC 271, is coming up on Saturday, February 12. As usual, preliminary and main cards are filled with matchups that should keep even the most hardcore MMA fans entertained for the duration of the show.
UFC 271 will be headlined by a middleweight championship bout as Israel Adesanya defends his title against Robert Whittaker in a rematch of their UFC 243 meeting.
A heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa will serve as the co-main event for the night. Lewis is the division’s No. 3-ranked fighter while Tuivasa is sitting just outside of the top 10. Only time will tell which fighter will come closer to advancing his goals.
Meanwhile, the middleweight division’s Jared Cannonier (No. 3) will face off against Derek Brunson (No. 4) in a matchup that could have championship implications down the line.
With that said, let’s look at the odds and picks for UFC 271’s biggest fights.
UFC 271 Event Details
- Event: UFC 271
- Date: Saturday, February 12, 2021
- Time: Early Prelims (6 pm ET), Prelims (8 pm ET), Main Card (10 pm ET)
- Venue: Toyota Center
- Location: Houston, Texas
All odds listed are per BetMGM.
UFC 271 Main Event: Israel Adesanya (-300) vs. Robert Whittaker (+240)
Israel Adesanya has been one of the most dominant fighters that the UFC has seen in quite some time. He’s a perfect 10-0 at the middleweight level since joining the company nearly four years ago, with his only loss coming against Jan Błachowicz for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship back in March 2021.
The 32-year-old owns three successful defenses ever since he unified the UFC Middleweight Championship against Whittaker. His most recent defense came against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, ending in a unanimous decision for the champion.
On the other hand, Robert Whittaker has had to crawl his way back for a championship opportunity at UFC 271. He’s 3-0 since his loss to Adesanya, defeating Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum to get back to where he is.
Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 Pick: Adesanya to win (-300)
Although going with him doesn’t provide too much betting value, it’s tough to bet against the defending champion. There’s a reason why Adesanya is undefeated in the middleweight division. And despite Whittaker’s hot streak, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll lose the championship any time soon.
It only took Adesanya two rounds to knock Whittaker out in their first meeting over two years ago. While the challenger has had his fair share of success since then, Adesanya is on another level. It will take a once-in-a-lifetime performance to stop him.
Derrick Lewis (-190) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+155)
Derrick Lewis has been a mainstay in the UFC’s heavyweight division throughout his career. When he defeated Chris Daukaus, by KO, back at UFC Vegas 45 in December, he became the promotion’s all-time knockouts leader with 13.
Lewis’s victory over Daukaus was his fifth in his last six outings, leaving him as the No. 3 fighter in the heavyweight division. He challenged for the UFC Heavyweight Championship twice in his career but lost both opportunities. In other words, a win at UFC 271 would do a lot to get him back in the title picture.
While Tai Tuivasa has only been a UFC fighter going on four years now, he’s still left an impact during that short time. After starting 3-3 with the promotion, he’s a perfect 4-0 in his last four fights. He’s earned Performance of the Night honors in his last two showings and a win over Lewis would be the biggest of his career thus far.
Lewis vs. Tuivasa Pick: Lewis to win (-190)
As hot as Tuivasa has been lately, he just doesn’t have the experience that Lewis has. Yes, the latter is older and potentially past his prime. However, Lewis’s last two wins have come against Daukaus and Curtis Blaydes — two top-10 heavyweight fighters — while Tuivasa’s recent victories were scored against lower-ranked opponents.
One of the major advantages that Lewis has is that he’s willing to take the fight to the mat, with 41% of his strikes coming on the ground. That doesn’t bode well for Tuivasa, who prefers staying on his fight and only has a 50% takedown defense rating.
Tuivasa will have his time to shine in the future, but it’s looking like it’ll be another victory for Lewis at UFC 271.
Jared Cannonier (-165) vs. Derek Brunson (+135)
After an unsuccessful run in the light heavyweight division, Jared Cannonier has been making the most of his time as a middleweight. He’s 4-1 since switching weight classes, with his only loss coming to Whittaker at UFC 254. Cannonier has since rebounded from that loss by scoring a unanimous decision victory over Gastelum back in August, so a win at UFC 271 could inch him closer to a future title fight.
Derek Brunson has also been on a roll lately. The 38-year-old veteran’s current five-fight win streak is tied for the longest of his UFC career. He recently defeated Darren Till with a rear-naked choke in the main event of UFC Vegas 36, boosting him into the top 5 of the middleweight division rankings.
Cannonier vs. Brunson Pick: Brunson to win (+135)
This fight looks like one of the more evenly matched ones on the card because you can make a good argument for either fighter to win. Having said that, I’m going to lean toward Brunson here. While Cannonier is the better striker, his lack of a ground game could come back to bite him.
Brunson averages 3.15 takedowns per 15 minutes and will likely drag the fight out as long as he needs it to go. Meanwhile, Cannonier is 1-3 in his last four fights that have gone the distance. He’ll also have even less time to knock Brunson out on Saturday considering that their fight will only be three rounds. Taking that into account, I’m giving the slight edge to Brunson.