UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2

The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

Adesanya vs. Whittaker II
Robert Whittaker, DEC
Do you really think it's too ez for Izzy? I dont think so.

Lewis vs. Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa, TKO, R2
Lewis is overrated

Cannonier vs. Brunson
Derek Brunson, DEC
Brunson cause of his wrestling

Phillips vs. Rojo
Marcelo Rojo, DEC
Phillips is overrated af

Haqparast vs. Green
Bobby Green, DEC
Should be ez for Bobby

Arlovski vs. Vanderaa
Andrei Arlovski, DEC
Too ez for Arlowski, unless he gets caugh right on yhe button

Modafferi vs. O'Neill
Casey O'Neill, TKO, R3
Casey by GP on full mount.

Perez vs. Schnell
Alex Perez, DEC
Schnel is so bad.

Hernandez vs. Moicano
Alexander Hernandez, DEC
Idk why, but I feel Hernandez is gonna win.

Phillips vs. Rojo
Marcelo Rojo, DEC
I fully expect Philips to come in improved from his last fight and with much better pacing, but as it stands, Rojo is going to have a pretty decent size advantage and I love those body shots of his. Especially with the way Philips moves with little regard for defense I think the body will be an open target and he'll slow down once again, allowing Rojo to take over.

I listened to Rob's last few interviews (longer ones) and I really like his mindset coming into this fight.
I believe he truly does understand what he did wrong the first time, and will have a way different approach this go-around. I'm quite surprised at his odds right now being as big as they are, definitely seems like good value to me. He knows that he needs to utilize his grappling and wrestling to win, and also acknowledged the 'blueprint' put forth by Jan. The real question imo is if he will be able to get Adesanya down, as he isn't going to have the size advantage that Jan had in their fight. If he can, I definitely see him winning this fight. If he can't, it may be a long night, but I think he can at least slow the fight down enough to take it the distance.

Adesanya:
There's levels to the game.

Lewis:
Can't fade Derrick Lewis right now. Tuivasa gets s#$t on a lot but I really think he could crack top 10. Right know I think Lewis cracks him. Oh,and we in Houston...

Brunson:
If he can get the take downs and control like he did in the Till fight he wins.

Your predictions??

Grishin. I still think knight sucks despite his last win. Don’t really rate Grishin either but he had a pretty good performance against jacoby, who is right outside the top 15

I am really confused that's why I ask for opinions.

I wanted to bet on Knight because 

William seems strong, has serious Knock out power, has only one lose in the last fights from a guy who has 14 straight wins.
And Grishin is 37 years old and he started the -win-lose-win path, he also has one lose from tybura, who is not something special ( in my opinion)
On the other hand I saw statistics from William's last fight. It was 6 minutes under his opponents control (I couldn't find a video of that fight to watch it) And Grishin has win over some serious guys, I believe he is a good fighters, maybe a more complete one, who can take this fight to the distance

* Edited at 02.04.2022, 9:14 AM ET *

Yeah I think he’s a better fighter overall. He’s also going ot be 5 inches taller so it’s going to be very difficult for knight to land his power shots. Knight also has **** striking defense 

good point

why not? no Blonde Brunson takes it UD

The UFC is in full gear after the Christmas holidays, with some truly great matchups playing out so far. We saw 0.5 dimensional kickboxer Giga Chickadze experience the 1/10 scenario when the Boston bomber (Jon anik’s words not mine) Calvin Kattar battered him pillar to post. We were then treated to no knees Ngannou abandoning the usual routine of throwing nuclear bombs with his eyes closed to outgrind his definitely not a former teammate Ciryl Gane. And as i’m writing this we are about to see self described white trash psychopath Sean Strickland and professional smiler Jack Hermansson square off. 

Yet all of these pale in comparison to the rematch of all ages. Middleweight is often coined as one of the worst divisions in the organisation, a reputation that I have to agree with. While you may have the likes of Andre Muniz snapping limbs and Dricus Du Plessis confusing American ears, the top 15 is filled with one dimensional fighters and out of prime veterans. From fighters who would rather talk **** than learn how to stop a takedown and others that insist on swinging like they're underwater it’s a ****show from start to finish. Even my beloved Vettori has the defence of a quadraplegic puppy, only staying awake through the virtue of his inhuman jaw. No, the middleweight division is a two horse race, and unless one of the aforementioned prospects learns how to throw a jab or Usman decides to fight his fellow countrymen it’s likely to remain that way. 

On one side you have perhaps the greatest pure striker we’ve ever seen in the octagon, a master of positioning and movement who’s only shortcoming came to a polish powerhouse who couldn’t stop saying the n word. His comfortability from both stances and his lighting accuracy paired with a surprising power has led to a complete domination of the division with notable wins against the likes of: “Fridgehead fatty” Gastelum, “Pre-blonde hair” Brunson, Yoel “Statue of god” Romero, “Presumably pissed” Costa, “The italian Uruk-hai” Vettori and most notably the serial masturbater that will be standing across the octagon from him saturday night. Adesanya remains an anomaly in this modern age of mma. In an era where most world champions are as well rounded as they come, we see a pure kickboxer shutout all those who have even attempted a takedown or have so few brain cells to trade fists with him. 

And in the other corner you have perhaps one of the most well rounded strikers of all time, one of the only mma fighters to use a good jab and who’s two nicknames which don't fit his personality at all yet fit his  fight style perfectly. Whittaker’s road back to the belt has been a hard run with the UFC and possibly Eugene Bareman seemingly trying their hardest to stop Rob from securing a shot at the title. Since his defeat in Sydney he’s rocked off wins against twitter criminal Darren Till, Sorcery hobbyist Jared Cannonier and the previously mentioned “my girlfriend is my nutritionist” Kelvin Gastelum. This adds to his already stellar resume, of which Adesanya shares many. Eight of the other fourteen ranked fighters in the division have been bested by the two, which only further proves the completely different class these men are in. If you were to tell a UFC fan of February 2014 that Whittaker would stake a claim as one of the best  middleweights of all time you would’ve been met with laughter and a trip to the nearest loony bin. An Aussie TUF alumni with decent hands backed by good cardio led to his first pair of UFC wins. His underdevelopment was soon shown off though as he was out grinded by former crackhead Court Mcgee and sparked out by Stephen “Choirboy” Thompson. His development and technical turnaround to where he is today was not an immediate change and there was many bumps in the road to lead him to this point. And despite his resume and time on top he is still only 31, giving me hope in the possibility that we see him for many years to come. 

Through my disorganised ranting you may be able to decipher that I adore this matchup and can’t wait to watch the fight. I have to admit my own biases in the matter, being my love of Bobby Knuckles and slight dislike of Gynobender. You might have noticed from the many more jokes targeting Adesanya but I have found myself rooting against him in nearly every fight he’s had in the UFC. That’s not to say I don't respect his skills, the most struggle he’s faced, barring that of his sexuality, was met with a grand performance worthy of fight of the year. Yet I just feel like his fighting style isn’t for me. I can admire his sniping shots with chopping leg kicks and speedy question mark kicks but it doesn’t fill my “just bleed fan” void the way the likes of Shogun Rua or Tony Ferguson did. Unlike the man he’s meant to be the successor of, Israel has yet to add a truly highlight reel knockout, those of which defined Anderson Silva’s career and littered top knockouts of all time lists. If Whittaker plays in to his game he might just get that. In a purely kickboxing match Whittaker gets his arse kicked, or more specifically his legs. We saw the damage a more basic striker in Cannonier could do simply by attacking the lower half and a rangier, more precise striker like Israel should have little problem in following the same plan from when he gave Vettori a peg leg. It’s likely that Whittaker will try to emulate Jan in wrestling Adesanya but the likelihood of him holding him down without the size and ****** strength of Jan is unlikely. It pains me to commit such a sin but my prediction is a late round finish for Adesanya, though in a much harder fight than most kiwi ***********s are suggesting. But if the mma gods are just these two men will compete in a trilogy and the winner will be the undisputed middleweight GOAT. 

..

* Edited at 02.05.2022, 6:43 PM ET *

Arlovski vs. Vanderaa
Andrei Arlovski, DEC
I'm

Adesanya vs. Whittaker II
Robert Whittaker, DEC
I don’t think Robert will finish him but he will win

Lewis vs. Tuivasa
Derrick Lewis, TKO, R1
Someone is gonna get ko’d in the first

Cannonier vs. Brunson
Derek Brunson, DEC
Think he will hug him the whole fight

Phillips vs. Rojo
Kyler Phillips, TKO, R2
Gotta love the matrix

Haqparast vs. Green
Bobby Green, TKO, R3
Fotn for sure

Arlovski vs. Vanderaa
Andrei Arlovski, TKO, R2
I ride or die with Andrei

Modafferi vs. O'Neill
Casey O'Neill, SUB, R1
A easy arm bar for Casey

Perez vs. Schnell
Alex Perez, TKO, R3
Alex gonna knock the hell out of Matt

Knight vs. Grishin
William Knight, TKO, R1
If Knight wins it has to be early unless he really improved his gas tank

Lawrence vs. Martinez
Mana Martinez, DEC
Sub to change

Hernandez vs. Moicano
Alexander Hernandez, TKO, R1
He is riding a good streak

Ulberg vs. Cherant
Carlos Ulberg, TKO, R1
They are gonna stand and bang

Malkoun vs. Dobson
AJ Dobson, SUB, R3
Although he beat alhassen I think aj gets another rnc

Silva de Andrade vs. Morozov
Sergey Morozov, DEC
Douglas is old and sergey is boring so I’ll go sergey

Wells vs. Mathetha
Jeremiah Wells, TKO, R1
I’m really high on Jeremiah also Mike has been inactive. I will probably change the way Jeremiah wins

Last Chance : Cherant, Modafferi
Close Fights : Knight/Grishin
Last Fight : 
Lock : O'Neill, Green

Accepting challenges so send em.

I feel like there won’t be a ton of upsets in this card but could be wrong 

Green a lock 😂😂😂😂

Green is good bro 

Decent card 

Trying to redeem myself after bad UFC and Bellator cards in a row. 3rd time lucky I guess.

I may change my picks if I get time to do more study or research.



1. Adesanya/Whittaker - Whittaker TKO
This time Whittaker is more motivated and seems to have dealt with his mental issues. He won't rush in and get clipped like he did last time and will be more patient. I am 100% sure he will put his excellent wrestling and ground game to use here and I don't see Adesanya being able to deal with this. New Champ.

2. Lewis/Tuivasa - Tuivasa KO
Shame one of these 2 has to lose. They are both awesome. I just think Tuivasa is faster and both have equal power so I see a brawl and Derrick getting clipped. Tai's leg kicks could also come into play. Also Derick can be tentative and hold back and I don't think that will work with a technical brawler like Tai.

3. Cannonier/Brunson - Cannonier KO
I think Brunson is going to get exposed here. His wrestling is very good but he will gas out and won't be able to hold Cannonier down. Jared is not going to make the schoolboy errors Till made and he will likely put out a gassed Brunson in R3.

4. Phillips/Rojo - Phillips Sub
Both have been dissapointing for their talent but I think Phillips is more skilled, especially on the ground. Rojo has a tendency to give up submissions and if Kyler can use his brain for once he can win this.

5. Nasrat/Green - Green Dec
I like them both but Nasrat loses every time he steps up to a higher level of competition and I think thats exactly what Bobby Green is.

6. Arlovski/Vanderaa - Arlovski Dec
This is likely to be Vanderaas last fight with the UFC. Arlovski is too good.

7. Modafferi/O'Neil - O'Neil Sub
This is also going to be Modafferis last fight with the UFC too. I hope she makes it out alive.

8. Perez/Schnell - Perez KO
Both have not fought for a long time but I think Perez is too good. I like Schnell but I think he will be outclassed here.

9. Knight/Grishin - Grishin Dec
Already changed my pick on this one. I hate both of these fighters and think they are both horrible.I really don't care who wins this one as long as one loses. I wish both KOd each other at the same time but Grishin could not KO my grandma. Horrible fight and I guess I will take Grishin because he is at least very durable and bigger. I really really hope they both fall out of the cage and DQ or something.

10. Lawrence/Martinez - Lawrence Sub
I am confident about this one. Lawrence is the real deal and will take Martinez to school on the ground.

11. Hernandez/Moicano - Hernandez KO
I know Moicano may look better at a higher weight class but I think Alex will be stronger and outstrike him and out wrestle him. Moicano has chin issues and my new resolution is to fade chins and bad cardio.

12. Ulberg/Cherant - Ulberg KO
After seeing Cherant get KOd so easily from what was barely a punch in his last fight, and knowing Ulberg will be more careful with his cardio here I think we will see a KO here. This seems to be a showcase for Ulberg to get a win on an Australasian card. One concern is if Cherant wrestles then he could gas Ulberg out again but I think the Water Buffalo gets put out to pasture. Fight to not go the distance may be a good play here.
 
13. Malkoun/Dobson - Dobson KO
Need to do more research on this one but I am taking Dobson because I think on the feet Malkoun is outclassed. Not sure about this fight yet.

14. Andrade/Morozov - Morozov Dec
I think Morozov is a prospect. As good as Andrade is I think he loses here.

15. Wells/Mathetha - Not sure
I am going to assume Wells wins this but don't know enough about Mathetha yet. Will do some research in the local circles and find out more.

* Edited at 02.06.2022, 2:59 AM ET *