UFC 271 Recap

Story posted February 16, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Dylan Price

This past weekend in Houston, Texas, Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya headlined the evening’s action in a rematch of their UFC 243 clash for the ages.

Last time, Adesanya saw blood in the water and dialed in to finish off the bout. Now, the middleweight championship rematch finished off a card that saw Tai Tuivasa knockout Derrick Lewis.

Adesanya Wins The Chess Match

Reigning champion Israel Adesanya (22-1) walked into the ring playing his typical mind games. He looked relaxed, at ease and even bested Whittaker (23-6) in a game of rock paper scissors before the opening bell rang.

Adesanya controlled the rhythm of the bout, moving methodically and landing his significant strikes in a calculated manner. Whittaker scored a handful of takedowns and seemed to swing the momentum his way at points, but ultimately Adesanya won the bout with a unanimous decision, with three judges scoring the bout 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

Adesanya now remains the champion and moves on to a likely bout with Jared Cannonier.

Tuivasa Rallied Back To Knockout Lewis

From the minute the bout began, there was a different vibe on one side of the octagon than the other. Tuivasa (14-3) came out to the song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. Tuivasa was relaxed and looked calm, cool and collected.

Lewis (26-9) entered the octagon looking focused and came out of the gate strong. Lewis controlled the pace of the first round, and in a bout few projected to go past the first few minutes, gave the crowd a few knockout scares with some of his shots on Tuivasa.

Then, as some expected, Lewis looked tired and lost control of the bout, as Tuivasa landed a few big punches and a strong elbow to send Lewis folding over onto the mat.

Tuivasa won the bout, in an assertive win that marked his fifth victory in a row. Tuivasa now could be poised to jump from No. 11 in the heavyweight standings, to potentially in the top-five. Tuivasa could be set for a big time bout next with Citryl Gane, the former interim champion, Francis Ngannou, the current champion or superstar Jon Jones.

The highly marketable heavyweight won the biggest bout of his career, and the world may just be his oyster.

The Rest of the Card & What’s Next

Jared Cannonier knocked out Derek Brunson at middleweight in a contender matchup, and now figures to be the next opponent for Adesanya after clawing his way back into the bout and finishing Brunson off in the second round.

In lightweight action, Renato Moicano gained the striking advantage over Alexander Hernandez and controlled the bout from there on out to earn a big win. Bobby Green also pulled off a win to round out the main card.

Next up is UFC 272 on March 5 live from Paradise, Nevada as Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal are set for a highly anticipated welterweight contest.
 

Dylan Price is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.