5 bold predictions for UFC 271

The UFC is bringing another exciting pay-per-view event with UFC 271. Scheduled to take place on February 12 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, the card will be headlined by a title fight between Robert Whittaker and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

The fight will be a rematch as the two previously faced off at UFC 243 in October 2019. That night, Adesanya was crowned the new middleweight king after he finished 'The Reaper' in the second round in front of 57,000 fans at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.

A significant amount of time has passed since their first encounter. Both fighters have grown by leaps and bounds so it will be interesting to see how the rematch unfolds come February 12.

The excitement doesn't end there. The co-main event will feature a clash between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa, two of the most entertaining heavyweights on the UFC roster.

An important middleweight matchup between Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson is also set to take place on the main card of UFC 271.

Other interesting matchups on the fight card include a lightweight scrap between Bobby Green and Nasrat Haqparast on the main card as well as a bantamweight fight between Kyler Phillips and Marcelo Rojo. A lightweight contest between Alexander Hernandez and Renato Moicano will also take place on the prelims of the event.

On that note, let's take a look at five bold predictions for the February 12 event.

---

#5. Casey O'Neill will win 'Performance of the Night' bonus at UFC 271

Ever since her debut in February 2021, Casey O'Neill has been putting on spectacular performances one after the other. In her three octagon appearances, 'King Casey' has scored three finishes.

The 24-year-old also won a 'Performance of the Night' bonus in her last fight against Antonina Shevchenko.

39-year-old Roxanne Modafferi is past her prime and is currently on a two-fight skid in the promotion. So the chances of O'Neill scoring a bonus-worthy finish at UFC 271 are pretty high.

#4. Derek Brunson will beat Jared Cannonier at UFC 271

Derek Brunson has recently caught a second wind in his UFC career and has been dominating his opposition with his wrestling skills. The 38-year-old is currently on a five-fight win streak in the 185-pound division. This includes wins over highly skilled fighters like Kevin Holland and Darren Till.

Jared Cannonier's run as a middleweight is nothing short of impressive either. 'The Killa Gorilla' has got his hand raised in four out of his five bouts as a 185-pounder. Cannonier has wins over some renowned names like Anderson Silva, Jack Hermansson and Kelvin Gastelum.

The matchup is important for the division as the winner of the fight could very well be next in line for a title shot. Looking at his current run, Brunson has clearly learned from his mistakes against Whittaker and Adesanya, two men fighting for the belt at UFC 271.

So, considering the stylistic matchup, it is highly likely that Brunson will go on to overwhelm Cannonier with his grappling and score a decision victory at UFC 271.

---

#3. Kyler Phillips vs Marcelo Rojo will be the 'Fight of the Night' at UFC 271

The two lesser known names that you will find on the main card of UFC 271 are Kyler Phillips and Marcelo Rojo. What these two bantamweights lack in popularity, they more than make up for in the entertainment section.

Phillips has had four octagon appearances and has won three of them. In those four fights, 'Matrix' has won two 'Performance of the Night' and one 'Fight of the Night' bonus.

Rojo also has an exciting fighting style, as is evident from his MMA record. 'Pitbull' has 16 wins as a professional fighter and 14 of those have been finishes (eight knockouts and six submissions).

So there is a very low chance of this bantamweight scrap turning out to be a dull affair. Both fighters will bring their 'A' game on fight night and will likely take home the 'Fight of the Night' honor.

#2. Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa will not go past round 1 at UFC 271

There is not a single fight with more entertainment potential on the UFC 271 card than the co-main event between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa. This fight is guaranteed to deliver fireworks.

Lewis has become a household name in the UFC's heavyweight division. 'The Black Beast' possesses freakish knockout power in his hands and has used it well inside the octagon. This is evident from the fact that Lewis holds the UFC record for most knockout victories (13) in the promotion. After losing to Ciryl Gane at UFC 265, the 37-year-old bounced back with a first-round finish against Chris Daukaus.

Tuivasa has had an interesting run in the UFC. After winning his first three fights in the promotion, 'Bam Bam' went on to lose his next three. The 28-year-old then improved his skills and is now on a four-fight win streak in the UFC. Six of Tuivasa's seven UFC wins have come via knockout and five of these knockouts took place in the very first round.

So, both fighters will likely come out with all guns blazing making the chances of this fight going past the first round pretty low.

---

#1. Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker will go to a decision at UFC 271

The rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker will probably be a very different fight than their first encounter. 'The Reaper' made the mistake of being too aggressive in the first fight. Since then, he has gone on an amazing three-fight win streak over fighters like Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson.

Adesanya's loss against Jan Blachowicz also showed that 'The Last Stylebender' is susceptible to takedowns. That is something Whittaker could take advantage of in the rematch.

This does not mean that the New Zealander will be an easy fight this time around. Adesanya is still undefeated at middleweight. Since his victory over Whittaker, the 32-year-old has defended his belt three times against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori.

Both middleweights will likely walk into the octagon on February 12 with a calculated game plan. There is a high chance that the UFC 271 main event could turn out to be a high level chess match between the two that goes the full 25-minute distance.