How does Robert Whittaker wrestle Israel Adesanya to take the title at UFC 271?

Joseph Henle, head coach at Tiger Muay Thai, breaks down the rematch for the middleweight title between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya on Feb.12 at UFC 271.

Henle on the adjustments Whittaker can make:

“If I was Robert I would be really looking to add more of the takedowns into the game. His speed is very underrated and I really do believe that the way he moves…if he adds in the right takedowns and can find them at the right time, he can definitely make something happen down there. 

“If I was his coach, [scrambles are] one of the things I would be looking at. How can we freeze Izzy’s feet and attack off an angle. You can’t freeze his feet and attack him head on, you’re gonna die. You found out that already. How many people have been knocked silly? So you gotta find a way to freeze his feet, cut an angle and attack a takedown. And be able to transition between your takedowns. It’s not just gonna be one. Jan [Blachowicz] is a big dude so when he grabs you, good luck. Robert’s not as big, he might not be as strong. Is he gonna be able to do that? Or does he need a few more transitions to help him find the right takedown and get to the right positional control? That’s possible. 

Watch this interview on The AllStar’s Youtube channel.

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Fighter profile

Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya is a 32 year old male fighter from Nigeria with 21 pro wins and 1 losses. Adesanya is scheduled to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 on Saturday February 12, 2022.

Adesanya’s recent form coming into this matchup

Adesanya has gone 4-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Marvin Vettori • Decision R5 5:00 • 2021-06-12
• Loss vs Jan Błachowicz • Decision R5 5:00 • 2021-03-06
• Win vs Paulo Costa • KO/TKO R2 3:59 • 2020-09-26
• Win vs Yoel Romero • Decision R5 5:00 • 2020-03-07
• Win vs Robert Whittaker • KO/TKO R2 3:33 • 2019-10-05

Israel Adesanya’s next opponent: Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker

Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker’s recent form coming into this matchup

Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker is a 31 year old male fighter from Australia with 23 pro wins and 5 losses. Whittaker is scheduled to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 on Saturday February 12, 2022.

Whittaker has gone 4-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Kelvin Gastelum • Decision R5 5:00 • 2021-04-17
• Win vs Jared Cannonier • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-10-24
• Win vs Darren Till • Decision R5 5:00 • 2020-07-25
• Loss vs Israel Adesanya • KO/TKO R2 3:33 • 2019-10-05
• Win vs Yoel Romero • Decision R5 5:00 • 2018-06-09

How to watch and bet on Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker

Keep track of all the latest odds and line-movements at our bout page for this matchup.