Israel Adesanya just signed a lucrative new contract, but the middleweight champion says he is only concerned with his legacy ahead of Saturday's UFC 271 main event against former champion Robert Whittaker. The rematch tops the MMA showcase from the Toyota Center in Houston, with the pay-per-view main UFC 271 fight card set for 10 p.m. ET. Ahead of his fourth title defense, the UFC announced this week it had reached a big-money contract extension with one of its most popular stars. Adesanya told the media he appreciates the compensation and financial security, but is more concerned with putting on another memorable performance that will help cement his reputation as one of the promotion's dominant champions. Whittaker hopes to spoil the party by avenging his loss in their October 2019 meeting.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Adesanya as a -270 favorite (risk $270 to win $100), while Whittaker is offered at +230 in the latest Adesanya vs. Whittaker odds. The UFC 271 odds also show recent heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis at -200 as he meets upstart prospect Tai Tuivasa (+175). Before locking in any UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Andrew Gombas.
Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who taps into his experience on the mat to dissect the X's and O's of MMA matchups in a manner that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has shown a profit every year since.
With more than 1,400 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 6 percent return on investment for his followers. Over the past two years, his followers have netted a profit of more than $10,000.
Just last month, Gombas kicked off the 2022 UFC season by advising SportsLine members to back underdog Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in a matchup of featherweight contenders in the main event. Kattar dominated from the opening bell to win a lopsided unanimous decision and give Gombas' followers an easy winner. Anyone who has followed him already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 in sight, Gombas has studied the card from every angle and released his top MMA picks and expert analysis. You can only see Gombas' UFC 271 picks at SportsLine.
UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 preview
Adesanya (21-1) is now widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world. He currently ranks third in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings behind featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. It's possible he could leapfrog one or both with another dominant performance.
Adesanya is known for his flamboyance and arrogance, but also his ability to back up those qualities in the cage. Thus far, the defining moment of his career was his destruction of Whittaker, who had been a dominant champion in his own right.
The 32-year-old New Zealander made his walkout a choreographed dance routine before dominating and knocking out the former champion in Whittaker's hometown of Melbourne, Australia, at UFC 243. Whittaker didn't seek an immediate rematch, which allowed Adesanya to pursue becoming a two-division champion. His lone defeat came against former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz by decision in March of last year, but Adesanya has never lost at middleweight.
Whittaker (23-5) is a 10-year UFC veteran who is still considered one of the most imposing figures in the sport. The 31-year-old has faced many of the sport's biggest names and once had a nine-fight winning streak that saw him win the middleweight title and successfully defend it twice. That streak ended with the loss to Adesanya.
Even so, he has returned to top form in his past three fights and earned a performance bonus for his decision win over Kelvin Gastelum last April. You can only see who to back at UFC 271 at SportsLine.
UFC 271 predictions
We'll share one of Gombas' UFC 271 predictions here: He is siding with Jared Cannonier (-170) to get his hand raised against Derek Brunson (+150) in a matchup of middleweight contenders on the main card. The winner could be in line to face the winner of the UFC 271 main event in a title fight.
Cannonier (14-5) is a seven-year UFC veteran who has fought at heavyweight and light heavyweight before finding a permanent home at middleweight. He is an explosive athlete and power puncher noted for his speed and elusiveness. The 37-year-old Dallas native is coming off a five-round decision victory against former contender Kelvin Gastelum in a UFC Fight Night main event in August of last year.
Brunson (23-7) is a 10-year UFC veteran and perennial contender who many observers believed was headed toward the twilight of his career following back-to-back losses in 2018. But the 38-year-old North Carolina native has returned to title contention behind five consecutive victories, using his mix of speed wrestling and striking to confuse his opponents.
"Cannonier is a much better striker. Brunson relies heavily on his wrestling, but Cannonier is extremely difficult to take down and hold down. I see Cannonier scoring a knockout, likely early on," Gombas told SportsLine.
How to make UFC 271 picks
Gombas also has strong picks for Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 and other fights on the UFC 271 card. He's also backing a fighter who "is known for his highlight-reel knockouts" to earn another dominant victory. Those UFC 271 picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2? And what other picks do you need to see? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC 271, all from the insider who's up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out.
UFC 271 odds, fight card, top contenders
Israel Adesanya (-270) vs. Robert Whittaker (+230)
Derrick Lewis (-200) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+175)
Jared Cannonier (-170) vs. Derek Brunson (+150)
Ronnie Lawrence (-280) vs. Mana Martinez (+240)
Jeremiah Wells (-220) vs. Mike Mathetha (+190)
Maxim Grishin (-175) vs. William Knight (+155)
Andrei Arlovski (-150) vs. Jared Vanderaa (+130)
Bobby Green (-150) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (+130)
Alex Perez (-400) vs. Matt Schnell (+320)
Carlos Ulberg (-240) vs. Fabio Cherant (+200)
Casey O'Neill (-380) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (+310)
Renato Moicano (-170) vs. Alexander Hernandez (+150)
Kyler Phillips (-400) vs. Marcelo Rojo (+320)
AJ Dobson (-120) vs. Jacob Malkoun (+100)
Sergey Morozov (-210) vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade (+180)
