Watch ‘Countdown To UFC 271’ (Video)

Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend his 185-pound strap against former division titleholder Robert Whittaker atop the UFC 271 pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled for this Sat. night (Feb. 12, 2022) inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The winner of Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 is expected to defend the 185-pound title against the winner of Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier. Brunson and the “Killa Gorilla” are booked for a middleweight title eliminator on the UFC 271 main card.

Being called up for the UFC 271 co-main event is the titanic tilt between two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis and Australian shoe drinker Tai Tuivasa. The record-setting “Black Beast” has won four of his last five while the power-punching “Bam Bam” has captured four straight and could blast his way into a title contention with a victory over Lewis. Hard to imagine this 265-pound showdown makes it all the way to the judges’ scorecards, especially considering both fighters have a combined 33 knockouts.

Check out the UFC 271 main and co-main event “Countdown” special embedded above. For the rest of the UFC 271 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.