Israel Adesanya and the Real Winners and Losers from UFC 271
If you dig it, do it. And if you really dig it, do it twice.
The UFC adopted that mantra for the second straight month for pay-per-views, building its spotlight card for February around a rematch between fighters who initially met 28 months ago.
Middleweights Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker headlined UFC 271 from the Toyota Center in Houston in the second installment of a rivalry that began when Adesanya took Whittaker's 185-pound title by a second-round finish at UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia.
Whittaker arrived Saturday night as the No. 1 challenger to Adesanya's throne, something the Nigerian-born champion had successfully defended three times alongside a failed try for a dual title at light heavyweight. The New Zealand native stepped away from the game briefly following the initial loss but had returned to prominence with three consecutive victories from July 2020 through April 2021.
The UFC's January pay-per-view card went the rematch angle one better, featuring a trilogy bout between flyweights Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno that evened their series at 1-1-1.
Elsewhere on Saturday's card, the co-main event slot was held down by heavyweight knockout artists Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa, while the No. 3 position went to two more high-profile middleweights—No. 3 challenger Jared Cannonier and fourth-ranked Derek Brunson.
Of course, as is often the case with the promotion's major shows, this one was not without its alterations. Flyweight Alex Perez missed the contracted weigh-in limit and had his bout with Matt Schnell canceled, while a scheduled bout between William Knight and Maxim Grishin was bumped to heavyweight.
A crew consisting of Jon Anik, Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier worked the broadcast table for ESPN, Megan Olivi was on hand for breaking news and feature pieces and Din Thomas handled technical analysis.
B/R's combat sports team handled its business in the form of a definitive list of winners and losers, which we encourage you to click through and peruse before leaving a viewpoint or two of your own in the comments section.
Winner: Running It Back
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It went longer. It was more competitive.
But when it came to deciding who was the better man in Saturday's middleweight championship main event rematch, neither new wrinkle mattered much.
Ex-champ Robert Whittaker was more aggressive in spots, landed clean blows and got his rival to the mat a few times, but it wasn't enough to change the result, as Israel Adesanya retained supremacy at 185 pounds with a unanimous decision over five rounds.
Adesanya's fourth successful title defense came via official scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.
B/R's scorecard was 49-46, too, in favor of the reigning champion.
"I knew he was going to bring everything. He had nothing to lose," Adesanya said. "I'm the champ, you want it, come get it. I knew he was gonna try me. But I'm the big dog in this yard."
Adesanya won by finish in less than nine minutes in the first meeting, but, outside of a first round where the challenger was ineffective throughout and was dropped by a left hand, Whittaker gave a far better accounting of himself with both striking and wrestling.
He got Adesanya to the mat in the third and fourth rounds and briefly took a controlling position on his back in both, but Adesanya was never in imminent danger and escaped within 20 seconds.
Unsurprisingly, Whittaker thought he'd deserved the win.
"You know what they say, don't leave it to the judges," he said. "I'm gutted, I thought I did enough. I was surprised at how well my plan was working. I was surprised with the decision."
Overall, Whittaker scored four takedowns in 10 attempts, tied for the most against Adesanya at middleweight. Adesanya, meanwhile, landed 79 significant strikes to Whittaker's 59.
"He's the champ. He beat me for the second time," Whittaker said. "We're the two best in the world. I know this, he knows this, we know this."
Winner: Flipping the KO Script
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So much for following scripts.
Typically, when Derrick Lewis connects with power shots in the Octagon his opponents fall semi-conscious to the canvas.
Turns out it happens the other way, too.
Charismatic Australian contender Tai Tuivasa took Lewis' bombs in a hectic first round, then rallied to land a few of his own, knocking the Houston-based slugger face-first to the floor with a hard right elbow at 1:40 of the second.
"[Tuivasa] has just produced a monumental win against the most prolific knockout artist in UFC history," Anik said. "He has arrived."
Lewis, whose 13 KOs are indeed tops all-time among UFC heavyweights, landed the better shots and took his foe to the ground multiple times with wrestling in the first round. Tuivasa was more effective in the second, however, and wobbled Lewis with a counter right hand near the end of the first minute.
Eventually, the two men locked up in a clinch position alongside the cage and Tuivasa landed an elbow that struck Lewis cleanly on the left side of his jaw. Lewis tumbled in slow motion to the floor, where he landed with a thud on his face and left side and prompted Dan Miragliotta to wave it off.
"I'm young, I'm upcoming and I'm taking over now," said Tuivasa, whose streak of five straight KO wins in second among active heavyweights. "My name's Tai, like Muay Thai. I like throwing elbows. I like the nitty-gritty, and I'm f--king always down to get down."
He left the cage to huge cheers from Lewis' hometown crowd and did his trademark shoey—chugging a beer from a sneaker offered by a fan—on a jubilant walk back to the locker room.
Ranked 11th among the heavyweights to Lewis' No. 3 standing, Tuivasa, when asked about his preference for a next opponent, replied with a simple, "Whoever, whatever."
Winner: A Royal Beating
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Bobby Green bills himself as "King."
But his work Saturday night would be just as appropriate for a fighter dubbed "The Artist."
The 35-year-old painted a brutally precise picture on the face of lightweight foe Nasrat Haqparast across nearly every moment of their three-rounder that opened the main PPV card. He won a unanimous decision that drew a huge response from a wholly supportive Toyota Center crowd.
All three judges had it 30-27 on the scorecards, and fans belted out a loud "Bobby, Bobby," chant as Green stood in the center of the cage for a post-fight chat with Cormier.
Fighting under the UFC banner for the 18th time in nine years, Green had been particularly masterful with his hands while repeatedly tagging his 26-year-old foe with clean lefts and rights delivered from the pocket while eluding replies with expert head movement and foot speed.
He also bedeviled Haqparast with nearly constant chatter and frequently gestured with dismissive waves as the German either landed glancing blows or missed shots entirely.
Green landed 188 significant strikes in 355 attempts for a 52 percent connect rate.
Haqparast, meanwhile, was a bloody mess following 15 minutes of sustained punishment, and the loss dropped him to 5-4 in the UFC and 13-5 in a pro career that stretches back to 2012.
"[Green] might have just turned in his best effort of his career," Anik said.
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Winner: Impressing Dad
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Jared Cannonier's dad was in the building to see his son fight live for the first time.
So it's no surprise the 37-year-old was determined to make it special.
The third-ranked middleweight delivered in brutal fashion, rallying from early trouble to stop No. 4 Derek Brunson with a series of vicious strikes at 4:29 of the second round.
"If anyone knows my career at middleweight, they know that's how it's gonna go," said Cannonier, who won for the eighth time in 13 UFC bouts and fifth of six in a stretch dating back to late 2018.
"I wouldn't call it adversity, it's going through the motions."
Cannonier's first UFC appearance in Texas began with an effective first round from wrestling ace Brunson, who continually pursued takedowns and scored one late in the session that ultimately turned into a rear-naked choke in the final 10 seconds. Cannonier was able to ride it out to the horn, however, and he began taking control with effective right-hand strikes in the second.
The tide turned for good when he landed a hard right elbow from a clinch position, then completed the combination with a back fist from the same side. The fight went horizontal when Cannonier tossed Brunson to the mat, and it ended soon after as one hard punch and three subsequent elbows rendered Brunson semi-conscious and prompted a towel throw from his corner at 4:29.
"You get in my face with that disrespect, you're gonna get the backhand," Cannonier said. "You bust me in my face, I'm gonna bust you in yours."
Now 15-5 in a 10-plus-year career, Cannonier finished his stay in the cage by pointing to UFC boss Dana White and demanding the next opportunity to meet Adesanya—who'd beaten the first-, second- and fifth-ranked contenders heading into the show's main event.
"I want that shot next, Dana," Cannonier said. "It's me."
Winner: Playing Prelim Favorites
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Betting on a main-card commodity is one thing.
But managing to make a profit on lower-profile prelim fights is another.
The wagering wheat was separated from the chaff during the initial nine bouts, where prudent outlays across the board—based on results—could have yielded a hefty profit.
Favorites won eight of the nine encounters, but the biggest needle-mover was the prelim finale when -210 pick (bet $210 to win $100) Sergey Morozov was beaten by submission by +175 underdog Douglas Silva de Andrade.
The 36-year-old Brazilian got the finish by rear-naked choke at 3:24 of the second round.
Minus-money payouts of $100 apiece came on favorites Maxim Grishin (-165), Jeremiah Wells (-240), Jacob Malkoun (-105), Ronnie Lawrence (-305), Carlos Ulberg (-265), Kyler Phillips (-450), Casey O'Neill (-410) and Andrei Arlovski (-150).
Loser: A "Happy" Goodbye
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Roxanne Modafferi made her pro MMA debut in November 2003.
At the time, Casey O'Neill was 34 days past her sixth birthday.
Nevertheless, the two shared the Octagon on Saturday night in what was billed as Modafferi's final outing after a career that had seen her compete in more than 10 promotions—including eight in a row in the UFC following four appearances across three seasons of The Ultimate Fighter.
"The woman truly was a pioneer," Bisping said.
"She was fighting when women in mixed martial arts wasn't really a thing."
But it wasn't a happy sendoff for the 39-year-old "Happy Warrior."
Outworked and out-landed from the start by her younger, undefeated opponent, Modafferi instead suffered her 21st defeat in her 46th fight, losing a split decision after 15 minutes.
All three scorecards had 29-28 margins, two in O'Neill's favor.
It was Modafferi's fourth loss in five fights since her biggest recent win, a unanimous decision defeat of previously unbeaten Maycee Barber at UFC 246 two years ago.
"I'm OK with that as the last fight," she said. "I gave everything I had. I'm proud of myself, and even though you don't win every time, you can still have an amazing journey."
O'Neill. 24, remained unbeaten, improving to 9-0 since her debut in April 2019.
The winner landed 229 significant strikes, a UFC record for a three-round women's flyweight fight.
Modafferi, meanwhile, landed 120 strikes.
"You can't overstate what a valiant effort, as a 39-year-old, she put out there tonight," Cormier said. "She made Casey O'Neill level up. She had to be better to win this than she'd been in other fights.
"Modafferi's always been one of the toughest fighters in every organization she's fought in."
Tie: Izzy's Prelim Teammates
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City Kickboxing is an MMA gym in New Zealand known for the pipeline of fighters it has sent to the UFC, Bellator and ONE Championship.
Adesanya is the most relevant and decorated of its current clients, and he arrived in Houston for Saturday's show with two City teammates who'd also earned spots on the card's early prelim and prelim segments.
Their results were mixed, to say the least.
Zimbabwe-born welterweight Blood Diamond was first out of the locker room in the night's second fight, but his stay lasted less than a round before he was submitted via rear-naked choke by 35-year-old American veteran Jeremiah Wells.
It was Diamond's first loss after three wins in other promotions and came after Wells took him down in the second minute and made Mathetha surrender on his back at 4:38 of the first.
Wells improved to 10-2-1 in a career that began in 2012.
Carlos Ulberg evened things up for the team four bouts later when, in the first fight on the card's middle portion, he pounded out a dullish unanimous decision over light heavyweight Fabio Cherant.
The 31-year-old won all three scorecards by 30-27 margins and scored the fight's only two takedowns while landing 71 strikes to Cherant's paltry 13—which translated to four, seven and two per round.
UFC 271 Full Card Results
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Main Card
Israel Adesanya def. Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Tai Tuivasa def. Derrick Lewis by KO, 1:40, Round 2
Jared Cannonier def. Derek Brunson by TKO, 4:29, Round 2
Renato Moicano def. Alexander Hernandez by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:23, Round 2
Bobby Green def. Nasrat Haqparast by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Prelims
Andrei Arlovski def. Jared Vanderaa by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Casey O'Neill def. Roxanne Modafferi by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Kyler Phillips def. Marcelo Rojo by submission (triangle armbar), 1:48, Round 3
Carlos Ulberg def. Fabio Cherant by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Early Prelims
Ronnie Lawrence def. Mana Martinez by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Jacob Malkoun def. AJ Dobson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Sergey Morozov by submission (rear-naked choke), 3:24, Round 2
Jeremiah Wells def. Blood Diamond by submission (rear-naked choke), 4:38, Round 1
Maxim Grishin def. William Knight by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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