Just over two years since the first time they met, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker are ready to run it back for the middleweight title at UFC 271 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on February 12.
When the two collided in October 2019, Whittaker was the champ, losing in the second round via knockout. Now Adesanya is the champ and the betting favorite in Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 odds.
You can see the Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker 2 odds along with other UFC odds at Sportsbook:
Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 Odds
Online sportsbook Sportsbook has released the Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 odds with Israel listed as the -295 favorite and Robert the +240 underdog. This means to profit $100 with an Adesanya win, you’d need to lay $295. Meanwhile, a $100 winning bet on Whittaker would net you $240.
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Israel Adesanya | -295 |
| Robert Whittaker | +240 |
Odds as of February 11 at Sportsbook
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According to our sports betting calculator, Adesanya’s odds translate to an implied win probability of 74.68 percent while Whittaker’s line represents an implied win probability of 29.41 percent.
Looking to bet on the UFC 271 main event? See our How to Bet UFC guide first to walk you through the steps. You can also check out our sportsbook review page to select where to bet on Adesanya vs Whittaker 2. There is plenty more UFC betting news here at Odds Shark.
Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker 2 Odds Analysis
We are seeing a flip in the line from the first time these two met at UFC 243. Then, Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya was the +118 underdog, marking the first and only time in his UFC career that he was the plus-money option. Bettors capitalized on the Nigerian product but his line has inflated to -295 in the rematch, similar to his betting line in other title defenses.
Is The Reaper Offering Value?
Conversely, Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker has switched from the chalk to the underdog. This is the first time he has been the underdog since he fought Jacare Souza in 2017, winning via second-round knockout. In fact, Whittaker was the plus-money option in five of his first six middleweight bouts, cashing in on all of those instances.
Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 Preview
The first time they faced off, the fight is remembered as an ass-kicking. Adesanya outstruck Whittaker 40-32, closer than one might have thought, but the Reaper was essentially knocked out twice in that fight, once to end the first round and again with the finishing blow midway through the second.
Izzy did a tremendous job countering every time Whittaker entered the pocket, an area in which he’s always superior. Additionally, he did a great job fighting at his range, constantly staying long with a stiff jab and good footwork.
Whittaker Must Be Patient
While The Reaper was shut off twice in the first fight, I thought upon watching it again that there were areas in which he did well. He has talked about how Adesanya got in his head and he fought angry. When he was patient, he landed really nice kicks and countered when Izzy was the aggressor.
The other area that should be interesting is the grappling. The first fight was contested solely on the feet, but since then, we’ve seen Adesanya lose a fight to Jan Blachowicz in which he was taken down and held. We’ve also seen Whittaker utilize his wrestling and strong top control against Kelvin Gastelum.
Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 Pick
Well, egg on my face for taking Whittaker in the first fight, when he essentially got knocked out twice. However, he was coming off a 15-month layoff; he has been much more active recently with this being his fourth fight since the last time they met. Call me crazy but I think The Reaper pulls off the upset.
He has more tools in his shed and I thought he was the faster of the two in their first meeting but simply didn’t fight smart. If he can pick his shots, mix in some grappling and drag the fight to the third and fourth round, I think he will score the decision win.
Granted, if Izzy plays the waiting game too and Robert rushes in again, Adesanya by knockout is certainly worth a look.
