5 bold predictions for UFC 271

#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.

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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.

About the author

Puneet has a total of 2.5 years of experience and specializes in reporting on MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication, which aided him in his writing skills.

The iconic interim featherweight title fight between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes at UFC 189 in 2015 ignited Puneet’s passion for the sport. Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira stands out as Puneet’s favorite MMA fighter as he's drawn to 'Do Bronx's' captivating background story and entertaining persona. He is a believer of MMA being the world’s no.1 combat sport as opposed to Boxing.

While writing, Puneet ensures that his articles stay true to their titles and deliver valuable information to readers. He emphasizes the importance of embedding videos or pictures directly from their original sources to enrich the reader's experience.

Puneet’s professional achievements include covering major events such as UFC 264 and several boxing matches featuring renowned fighters like Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua.

Beyond MMA, Puneet likes to watch movies.

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Edited by John Cunningham